Mysteries of the Heart
by Ravenhart
Summary: XenaVampire Diaries AU. Ares and Damon have lost their memories and it's up to Raven and Topaz to figure out what magic is afoot. Contains romance and heavy violence.


This is a Xena/Vampire Diaries AU fanfic written by myself and my cousin, Loudestmouse. We don't own Ares or Damon, just borrowing them for a little. ;)

I know the plot is a little weak. This is one of the first fanfics I was in charge of the plot for. I'm much more of a poet at heart, thus, most of the descriptions and inner dialogue is written by me. :)

Raven and Topaz are our original creations, do not steal, please!

* * *

The past four months have been a blur. How did I get here? Who am I? Or, should I ask, who was I? I have no real memory of my life before this place. I live in a small village. To these people, I'm a hero. According to them, I killed someone who was going to assassinate their leader with fire that came out of my hand. I don't remember any of it and that fire hasn't happened since. I've adapted well, though, I'm a farmer here and I help out wherever else I can. I'm known as Aeth here. Apparently that's a form of the name of their fire god. I've been plagued by dreams and nightmares since I got here. Villages being torn or burned to the ground, men dieing, screams that won't go away. I've been afraid that I used to be someone evil. That's the biggest thing that's kept me from searching out my past. But these nightmares are balanced by dreams with people I barely remember in them. Some girl with reddish hair whose face I can't see and two others. One guy who appeared here about two months after I did. He'd been found wandering the woods aimlessly, not remembering anything before that. They called him "Hunter" cause he's so good at tracking and hunting it's almost inhuman. The other person is a woman and one hell of one. She's the only one I've never really seen in life that I can see perfectly in my dreams. Just under my height, she's a fiery thing with icy blue eyes and a mane of beautiful black hair. She and I always seem to be fighting in my dreams, but that doesn't really seem to matter. The fact is, she's near me and that's what I want. We've never touched in my dreams, but her smile makes my knees weak. When she does smile at me.

A flurry of pink appeared behind Raven. She raised and eyebrow, leaning against the table, "Hey, Dite."

"Hey, warrior babe. We gotta talk!" Aphrodite, the goddess of love, exclaimed.

Raven was very thankful her inn room was all but empty. The

demi-goddess nodded to her in an encouraging way, "So talk."

Dite was suddenly a flurry of pink, this time it wasn't her ether, it was all her, "He's missing! None of the other gods can find him!" She turned to Raven with a helpless look in her eyes, "You gotta help, Raven! We don't know where to start and it's common knowledge that you two have a connection."

Raven's eyes narrowed in thought, then widened when she realized what Dite meant, "Ares?! How do you lose the god of war?"

Dite shook her head, hands gesturing emphatically, "That's the thing; we just can't find him. He vanished about four months ago and hasn't been seen or heard from since!"

Raven gently took her friend's hands and lowered them to keep from getting hit, "So you want me to find him and bring him back?" She asked incredulously, "I never liked him up there to begin with."

Dite looked in her eyes, "Without him, Olympus is unbalanced. I'm unbalanced. It's only a matter of time before I start going loopy. I don't wanna go loopy!"

Raven sighed and looked at the goddess, realizing there was no way she could get out of this with Dite in such a state, "Okay, I'll look for him." She said in a resigned voice.

Dite jumped suddenly, nearly knocking Raven off-balance, and smiled, "Great!" Then jumped into a hug, "Thank you, thank you, thank you! You have no idea how much this means!"

Raven grimaced, "Yeah. Unfortunately, I do." She muttered.

The forest smelled clean. Well, as clean as nature could. Hunter smirked to himself; they'd been tracking this prey for nearly an hour. Already having captured one, they'd decided the extra meat was needed and continued. He wasn't gonna complain. Tracking and hunting gave him a thrill he couldn't really describe, like it was part of his base nature. He knew he wasn't a simple human, he couldn't have been. No human should have senses as attuned as his, as sharp. The breeze drifted by and he lifted his face, the prey was near.

This village had taken him in when they'd found him wandering without a clue of whom he really was. He'd met up with one person he vaguely recognized: Aeth. He didn't know who he'd been in his previous life, but he'd somehow known this man. They were good friends now and often talked for hours, but he'd never mentioned his recent dreams and nightmares. His dreams were pleasant enough, filled with images of a face that was beyond beauty. Brown eyes and auburn hair on a woman who the gods must have had a personal hand in creating. But working against this vision were the nightmares. Screams, blood, pleading words in terrified voices, and faces that he couldn't remember, but would never forget. He'd woken up in too many cold sweats to remember since they had started. His mind was snapped back to reality when the breeze picked up the scent again. He was close, time to concentrate on the hunt.

Topaz lay on the ground looking at the sky for a few minutes. She had been looking for Damon, a friend of hers. He had been missing for, well, she didn't really know how long. She hadn't seen him for about four months and that didn't bother her. They traveled together sometimes, but not always. They sometimes went for nearly a year without seeing each other, but he always seemed to show up when she really needed help. Every time except a month ago when she had been in a fight to protect a village from a warlord. The fight was going well until the magic-users had come in. The village had managed to come out on top, but she had been badly wounded. After being bed-bound for nearly two weeks, she was up and about and looking for him. There was something wrong and he needed her help.

Topaz pushed herself off the ground, "Stop mulling and get back to looking." She told herself as she started wandering off in search of him again.

Hunter's head snapped up at the sound of footsteps. The tracking had been successful and enough meat had been brought back to give a good dinner, but he still needed to get away for a bit. Now, deep in the forest surrounding the village, he was shocked to hear anyone else in the area. He easily slipped into the trees above and stealthily made his way to the sound.

Someone was moving near her, that much Topaz knew. She couldn't tell where or from what direction, but there was someone around her that she couldn't see. Topaz tensed for a moment before resting her hand on her sword hilt casually and continuing to walk, carefully watching the area around her.

Hunter looked down at her from the trees and, for all of his inhuman balance, nearly fell. She was the woman he'd seen in his dreams. He knew it. Carefully and quietly jumping from the tree, he walked just out of foliage. Only taking mild notice that his heart, which should have been pounding, didn't seem to react at all, he looked at her, purposely drawing her attention by rustling the leaves next to him.

Topaz spun around, drawing her sword as she did, ready to fight whoever or what ever had been watching her, when she saw him. She let the tip of her sword touch the ground as she recognized Damon, "Don't you know it's bad for your health to sneak up on me?" She asked, trying to keep herself from showing her relief that he was alright.

He tilted his head slightly at her in a boyish manner, "Who are you?"

He asked just above a whisper, his curiosity overpowering his need to return to the village.

Topaz gave him an odd look, "What do you mean, who am I? You don't remember me?"

His expression never changed, "Should I?"

"On a normal day, yeah. I'm Topaz." She took in his appearance and then looked at his face again, "What are you doing here?"

He was dressed simply in a brown tunic and breeches. Leather boots completed the outfit that didn't seem to hold any weapons, but didn't seem to need it, as the browns blended very well with the surrounding trees. He looked over her appearance as well, his face not showing anything of what he was thinking although he was intensely curious about her clothing, "Seeking solitude and finding something unexpected." He replied cryptically.

Topaz gave into a small smile as she put her sword away, "Well, at least you still know how to keep people hanging. And how long do you need for solitude?"

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but, before anything came out, his head snapped to the side, as if listening. He looked back over at her, "I'm being called back. I hope to see you again, angel." He said lightly just before jumping back into the trees and vanishing.

Topaz shook her head. Damon wasn't acting like himself. There was something weird going on. She started off in the direction that he had been listening to.

She didn't have to wonder about her destination very long. Within five minutes, she heard the sounds of a small village just ahead of her. Her curiosity peaked, she picked up her pace. A moment more and she was at the forested edge of the village. Damon was talking with a man who seemed to be the head of the village.

A small group of people appeared to be hanging out with each other in the center of the village.

Topaz leaned against the tree and watched Damon, along with the rest of the villagers, trying to figure out why he was called. And, for that matter, why he let them call him.

Damon nodded seriously to the man he was talking to and walked over to the group, sitting down next to someone who only then caught her attention as being Ares.

Topaz shook her head, "Okay, this is too weird. What the hell is he doing with Ares?" Even through it was muttered, she knew that they'd both heard her, so she headed for them, intent on finding out exactly what was going on.

Although Aeth never heard a thing, Damon looked over at Topaz, alarm reading on his face, "Oh, no." He whispered, this Aeth did hear.

Topaz walked over and stood in front of Ares, "And just what the hell are you doing in this town?" She demanded, careful to keep her voice low so that any passer-bys wouldn't get alarmed by her icy tone.

Ares looked at Damon then at Topaz, "I'm sorry, do I know you?"

Topaz shook her head, "Don't play dumb, Ares. What are you doing here?"

Ares shook his head, "I think that you have me confused with someone else. My name is Aeth and I live in this town."

Topaz gave a truly puzzled look then shook her head, "What is going on here?" she asked herself.

Raven had been tracing Ares' mental signature through their link for the last couple days. It had led her to a small village that was no more than a speck of dust on the map. She'd been sensing Damon and Topaz around here as well, which was really getting to her. She wondered what they were all doing in the same area without her, especially Ares. Her questions were only deepened when she found the edge of the village and looked in. Damon, dressed in something like ranger garb crossed with a typical villager, sitting next to Ares, who was dressed in much the same. Topaz, in her usual warrior get-up, was giving Ares a look reminiscent of one Raven had often used on him and seemed to be nearly growling at him. Then her expression changed to confused and Raven decided, against her better judgment, to step in. She walked over, trying to look as non-threatening as possible, and intent on catching Topaz's attention, "Topaz." She said in a normal talking voice.

Topaz turned to Raven and gave a small sigh of relief, "Nice to know not everyone has forgotten me. Aeth over here seems to be having some problems though." She motioned to Ares, who was openly watching Raven in half awe and half disbelief.

Raven walked up next to Topaz, her eyebrow going up, "No, you haven't been forgotten, but I'll explain that later." She turned to the guys and extended a hand, "Aeth, is it? I'm Raven." She said with a small smile. She could feel something in her melt at the intensity of his eyes, but repressed the feeling as best as she could.

Aeth took her hand in his and kissed it lightly, "It is a true pleasure to meet you." He said, holding on to her hand a moment or two longer then strictly necessary.

Topaz gave Raven an odd look, but held back the biting questions she had.

Raven stood perfectly still for a moment, giving a barely-noticeable swallow, then forced herself to look away. After a few good mental kicks, she looked at Damon, "And you are?" She asked, finally able to speak.

Damon gave a small nod and shook her hand casually, "Hunter."

She nodded and glanced over at Topaz, "Not to be rude, but I really need to have a word with Topaz." She gestured away from the main area of the town, "Shall we?"

Topaz nodded, turned, and started walking to the area Raven indicated.

Raven met her over there, muttering something under her breath. She looked at Topaz, speaking low, "How'd you get here?"

"I walked, now you mind telling me what's going on?" Topaz kept her voice calm.

Raven sighed, "Alright. Ares has apparently been missing from Olympus for about four months. None of the other gods, even Dite, could find him. So, go figure, the one person who doesn't want to deal with him is recruited to find him because of our link. Dite visited me a few days ago and practically begged me to look for him. I didn't realize Damon was here, too." She paused for a moment, "Your turn."

"I was a little worried about Damon so I started looking for him. Then about fifteen minutes ago, he appears by me in the woods. After a few words, he says he's being called and vanishes. I managed to find this place saw him with Ares and wanted to know what Ares was doing in this village." Topaz sighed. "So neither of them remember a thing, huh?"

Raven shook her head, looking over at the guys, her voice a little distant, "No. There's something odd going on in their heads. I can get in their minds, but everything is pretty blank except their most recent memories. It's like their lives before never existed."

"Lovely. So I'm guessing we can't just make flash cards to get them to remember?"

Raven looked back over at her with a smirk, "Probably not. They need to find their memories in their own time. However long that takes. I have no worries on Damon for that; he has eternity to figure out who he was. But Ares is mortal right now."

"How's that? I mean, last time I checked he was a god. Since when are gods mortal?"

"He's not a god right now. Whatever is affecting them left Damon a vampire, but removed Ares' godhood from him."

Topaz shook her head, "I didn't even think that was possible."

Raven looked at her seriously, "It's not supposed to be, but magic can do a lot. I wouldn't be surprised if someone found a way to extract godhood."

"So why are we trying to get him back? I think it would be better for all involved to just help Damon and leave Aeth to whatever kind of life he can live."

Raven sighed and muttered, "Don't I wish it was that simple." Then said out loud, "It's not that easy. Ares, war, is part of a balance with Dite, love. One without the other is unstable. I don't understand it and gripe about it whenever it's brought up, but, the fact is, love is gonna start getting unstable and Dite is going to start changing, not being herself at all, if war isn't there to balance things out."

"Well, this sucks." Topaz complained, "Fine then, how do we fix a broken god?"

Raven stifled a laugh, "We find out what caused this in the first place and figure out what's doing this. Then we can fix it."

"Wonderful. And how exactly are we going to figure out what did this to them?"

Raven shrugged, "We ask them what they do remember. We can start there. I'm going to do a search for magic and a few other things. Think you can handle talking to Damon." She shook her head, "I mean, Hunter?"

Topaz nodded, "You guys have saved my arse enough. I guess it'd my turn to help." She replied with a half smile.

Raven chuckled, "Good. Then you get to know Hunter and I'll see what I can do about finding some leads for us."

"Are you going to take Aeth with you?"

Raven gave an uneasy look, "Actually, I was hoping to deal with this without him." After the reaction she'd had to him just holding her hand, she really didn't want to press her luck by having him around while she was searching.

Topaz looked at Raven, "Remember that it is still Ares, even if he does have better manners here. After we fix this, he's going to be back to his old ways."

Raven nodded, her eyes fixed on the forest behind Topaz, "I know." But her voice didn't have its usual confidence, just force.

Topaz sighed, "Go and I'll deal with the guys."

Raven glanced over at her with a grateful smile, "Thanks." And headed into the forest.

Topaz nodded, then turned and went back to the guys, "Sorry I was so rude before, it's just you reminded me a lot of a guy I used to know that caused a lot of problems."

Ares nodded, "It's no problem." He got up, "I have some work to do.

We'll catch up later. Okay, Hunter?"

Hunter nodded up at him, "Yeah, no prob. Don't work yourself too hard."

He laughed, "No worries on that one." And walked off.

"He seems pretty upbeat." Topaz commented, sitting down near Hunter.

He looked over at her and nodded, "He enjoys his work and has a good life. Can't ask for more than that."

"I guess not." She paused for a moment, "Is that how you two met, from his work?"

"No. I was brought in here pretty quietly. I met him at one of the village gatherings. They throw one hell of a party here."

"What do you mean 'brought in'?"

He shrugged, "I was found wandering in the forest around here. I don't remember anything before that time, but they took me in."

"So the name 'Hunter' was given to you because you were being trained as one?"

"Actually, because I seemed to have heightened senses, so I wanted to try my hand at hunting. Turns out I'm a natural. They gave me that name because of how naturally it came to me."

She nodded, "Is that all you do?"

He shook his head, "I help out where I can. Hunting is my main job here, but I try to learn new things everyday so I can work better with the village."

"Ever picked up a weapon?"

He shook his head with a small laugh, "I may have once, but I don't even carry one on me now."

Topaz looked around for the blacksmith's shop, "Care to find out if you're good with any?"

He shrugged, "Sure, why not." Then stood, offering his hand, "I'll show you where the blacksmith's shop is, but it's not very big here."

"Okay. Any kind you want to try first?" She took his hand and stood, waiting for him to lead the way.

"I'll give a sword a shot first. Seems to be the general weapon of choice." He led her by hand to the edge of the village and a small hut with heat radiating out of it. Hunter poked his head in, "Henry, you in?"

"Hunter? Aye, c'mon back, lad!" A gruff voice responded.

Hunter shot a half-smile back at Topaz and led her through the small shop that was amazingly well equipped. At the back, a man that looked like he shouldn't have been able to fit around all the equipment stood, hammering away.

Hunter stopped and smiled, "Henry, I brought a friend of mine. This is

Topaz."

Henry turned around, he looked around thirty or so, but it was hard to tell with all the soot and sweat on him. He smiled kindly, green eyes sparkling under a mop of dirt-covered red hair, and extended a hand,

"Hullo, lass. Me name's Henry. What you be doin' in a place like this

lookin' so much like a warrior?"

"I was just doing a bit of traveling." Topaz told him, smiling warmly,

"Thought I might test out Hunter's ability with a sword." She looked around for Damon's sword or at least one that looked about the right size for him.

There was a good collection of swords and, although none looked anything like Damon's sword, there were quite a few that would fit him nicely.

Henry laughed, "Gonna teach the lad sword fightin', are we? Oh, this should be rich."

Hunter gave him a wry look and retorted sarcastically, "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

Henry put a hand on his shoulder, "Don' take it badly, lad. For all we know, you could end up a natural at this, too. Y'made us all pretty amazed when y'pulled off that huntin' trip so good."

Hunter nodded and smiled, then looked over at Topaz, "Found one?"

Topaz walked over and picked up the one she thought would best suit him, "Let's go with this one. How much is it?" She looked at Henry as she said the last.

He scoffed, "Cost? It'd be a cold day in t'Underworld 'fore I make one

o'me own pay for a sword. Take it."

Topaz smiled, "Sorry didn't mean to offend you. Thanks for this." She tossed the sword lightly to Damon, "Where's a good place to practice?"

Hunter caught it with ease, looking at it curiously.

Henry shrugged, "Jus' out back this ol' place is as good as any, I

s'pose."

"Thanks again." Topaz said as she headed out back. She glanced at

Hunter, "Coming?"

He looked at her for a moment, his voice coming out barely a whisper, "Damn, if she isn't the most beautiful…" His voice trailed off.

He was snapped out by Henry chuckling lightly, "Go see how many times your bonny lass can put you on your ass, lad." He quipped.

Hunter shot him a wry grin and followed her out.

Topaz turned to him after arriving at the spot that Henry had suggested, "Let's see what you've got, Hunter." She pulled out her own sword and stood with it pointed down.

He followed in suite with his, "You're going to have to give me a few pointers to start out with. I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing."

"Yeah, try to get the pointy end in me and don't get hit by mine"

He paused a moment then laughed, "I'll do what I can." Then he lifted the sword and tapped hers. She held hers still for a moment then gave a slow swing at his. He parried it easily, returning with his own slow swing. She blocked it and started to pick up the pace a bit. For the first bit, he was a little clumsy, like getting used to a new weapon, but he soon kept up with her. He didn't seem to think about each move as they came so naturally from him. She kept increasing the pace until it got to his normal fighting ability.

"Not bad for a newbie." She commented as the continued.

It seemed to take him a moment to register, when he did, he missed her shot a dodged out of the way, backing off. He stood, trying to regain his breath, and looked from her to the sword in his hand, "Where did that come from?" He asked in wonder.

Topaz let the tip of her sword fall, "From your past."

His sword hung by his side, he met her eyes, "You knew me, then? Who I was?"

"The same person you are now. A good man who wanted to help people."

"But there's more to it than that. What am I? Why are my senses so acute?" He swallowed, "And why do I feel like I'm standing at the edge of a bonfire whenever our eyes meet?"

Topaz bit her lower lip for a moment, "You're a vampire. That's why your senses are so far above most peoples, but you decided along time ago that you wouldn't abuse that power." She answered carefully.

He looked off and nodded, "A vampire." Then looked back at her, "Then how am I out in the light and not a pile of ashes?"

She walked over and touched the ring on his hand, "That was a gift from your sire. It lets you go out in daylight."

He watched her, "I don't have any desire to drink blood." He said, his voice low.

"That's a complicated story. For now, just know that you are a vampire and a good man." She told him honestly.

He nodded slightly, the back of his hand brushing her cheek, "And these feelings?" His voice was just over a whisper.

"You were... are one of my closest friends." She told him, looking off to something else.

"Nothing more?" Came a whispered question. He wasn't going to force her to look at him, but he wanted an answer to why he felt like kissing her every time he saw her.

She swallowed, "No, nothing more."

He stood there for an infinite moment before letting his hand drop to his side. He gave a slow nod, then managed in a light voice, "We should get back into the village. It'll be dark soon."

Topaz nodded, hating how hurt he looked because of her, "Then let's get going. We can practice again tomorrow if you'd like."

"I'd like that. I get to know you better this way." Then he smiled and shifted his gaze to the sword, "And maybe this thing will hold a key to my memories."

"One never knows." She responded quietly, "So you guys have an inn or am I making camp?" She asked, lightening her voice.

"Neither." He responded simply.

She raised an eyebrow, "Mind being less cryptic?"

He smiled, "Yeah, but I'll explain anyhow. We do have an inn and there are plenty of places to make camp, but I figure if you're helping me remember my past I should insist that I return the favor and have you stay at my place."

Topaz gave a small laugh, "Okay, I guess that'll work, too."

He offered his arm, never losing the smile, "Then shall we?"

She took his arm after putting her sword away, "Let's get going."

They walked back into the village with amazingly few stares and he led them to a nice-sized home towards the other end of the village. He opened the door and motioned for her to go in, "It's not much, but it keeps most of the elements at bay."

Topaz smiled as she looked at the house, "It's wonderful. Better then making camp or ending up with drunk neighbors."

He chuckled and closed the door behind them. She could hear him moving, although night-vision was not very good in here. Then a candle came to light, followed by a few others and the room was bathed in an ethereal light. He smiled slightly in the candlelight, "Have a seat, please." He said and gestured to one of the wooden chairs in the room.

Topaz sat in the chair, watching Damon. He walked out of the room for just a moment, returning with two cups. Offering one to her and keeping one for himself. He watched her with wonder in his eyes.

"What?" Topaz asked as she took the cup he offered.

He smirked, "I'm just enjoying watching you. Is it bothering you?"

Topaz shook her head, "No, I'm just not used to you paying so much attention to me."

He nodded, "I believe the village is planning a celebration tonight, in honor of our guests." He tilted his head slightly to the side, "Would you accompany me?"

Topaz sipped from her cup and smiled at him, "As long as I don't have to wear a dress, sure."

He chuckled, "No, you don't have to wear a dress." His eyebrow rose, "Although, I'd imagine you look breathtaking in one."

"I don't, trust me. I look more like an assassin then a proper lady." She got a thoughtful look on her face for a second, "But that might have something to do with the murderous look I give anyone who sees me in one." She was smiling slightly at the end of that sentence.

He laughed. A sound from outside made him look over into the darkness of the window, "They've started." He looked back to her, offering a hand, "Care to join me?"

Topaz finished her drink and set the cup aside, "Let's go."

He nodded, still offering his hand, taking down the rest of his drink as well. Topaz paused for a moment then took his hand. He led her outside.

They were greeted by laughing, talking, music and dancing surrounding a large bonfire. Topaz noticed Raven sitting with the head of the village, talking.

Topaz glanced around to find Ares and for anyone that looked like possible trouble.

Aeth was sitting near a group of men from the village. She couldn't see it on his face, but he had somehow felt when Raven had been near the fire. He'd known she was near.

Damon led Topaz over near the fire. She couldn't see anyone who might think of trouble.

Aeth was watching Raven as much as he could, waiting for the chance and courage to talk with her.

Topaz sat down and shook her head, "This town makes me nervous. Everyone is nice." She was smiling.

Damon chuckled, "The people of this town are truly happy here. It's amazing."

Raven stood with a small smile as the drummers began a new, slightly heavier beat. The village leader nodded and gave a friendly smile. She walked up to the fire.

"Friends, guests, I would like to present an old friend. Raven is, among other things, a gypsy and Amazon. She has agreed to treat the village to a dance." He announced.

"I'm so glad I don't have stage fright." She muttered with a small smile, then lost herself in the beat as her body moved with it.

Aeth watched her intently, his jaw dropping slightly as he watched her grace as she moved. He soon forgot all other things as he watched this beauty with the cat-like grace and flamey movements flow around the center fire.

Topaz shook her head and laughed softly at Raven, "Show off" she muttered playfully.

Raven slowed the dance as it came to a stop, then calmly walked away from the fire. She gave Topaz a good-natured wink, 'Yeah, I heard that.' She said mentally.

Topaz grinned at her but didn't say any more.

Aeth was trying to pull himself together after watching her. He felt a hand on his shoulder and heard the head of the village's kind voice, "She is not as far from you as it seems. Do as you heart tells you to." And added with a chuckle, "And pull yourself together."

Ares shook his head and gave a small laugh, "I don't know that I can around her." He gave a thankful smile and got up to go talk with her.

Raven stood at the edge of the group surrounding the fire. Other dancers had gotten up and began dancing loosely around the fire.

Damon put his arm around Topaz's shoulders.

Aeth walked up beside Raven, "You're very graceful."

She looked over at him with a small smile, "Thanks." Almost seeming shy.

"I get the idea that you don't do that a lot, huh?"

"Dancing? No, not really. I don't get compliments a lot, either."

"Probably because you leave everyone speechless." Aeth said before he could even finish thinking it. Then got a slightly shocked look on his face.

She looked over at him with a soft smile, "That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me."

He relaxed a little, "Then I'm glad I got to say it first."

She forced her gaze back over to the fire. Just being this close to him was like standing at the edge of a deep chasm. She briefly wished he was back on Olympus so she wouldn't have this temptation so near, but quickly banished the thought. She could handle this.

Aeth looked at her, "Is something wrong?"

She blinked and looked over, "Huh? Oh, no." She gave an almost embarrassed smile, "The fire just put me into a kinda trance-like state."

He nodded, "Then I should probably leave you to your trance." He smiled softly at her and turned to go.

Without thinking, she turned to him in alarm, her hand reaching out a little, "No, it's okay. I was enjoying the company." She gave herself a mental kick. She shouldn't have reacted that way and she knew it. It had been like a knee-jerk reaction. But she didn't retract her hand.

He stopped and turned back to her. He glanced at her hand then gently, cautiously took it in his own, "Then I'll stay, I just didn't want to be a bother to you. To be honest I would rather stay here with you, even in the crowd." He had a kind of lazy smile on his face.

That smile… she felt a wave of heat through her. Her mouth unconsciously gave a soft smile of its own. Using that to distract herself, she took a breath and regained her mind, "I don't much like crowds, either." She looked at the group, "Even after being a gypsy… I never really got used to them."

"Then you want to go somewhere else? I've been here long enough to find a nice spot off in the woods a little." Hs voice was calm and almost carefree, but there was a slight tone under the surface that let her know he was a little embarrassed asking her.

She looked back over at him. In her mind, a million reasons she should say 'no' bombarded her. Only one made any real sense at the moment and even that didn't seem very important right then. She smiled again and nodded, "Yeah, that'd be nice."

He gave her a smile that reminded her of a little kid who just got their first piece of candy, "Great, come on, it's this way." He held her hand a little tighter and started to lead her off through the crowd.

Raven caught her breath. She couldn't believe she was doing this. She needed to talk to Topaz about what she'd found, but his boyish enthusiasm had been so real, his face lighting up like that. Something she'd never seen in the god she used to know. She mentally sighed, 'Topaz, I'm gonna need to talk to you later. I found some things I want you to know.' She hoped her old friend wouldn't ask any questions, but wasn't so sure she'd be so lucky.

Topaz had forgotten herself for a time, relaxing into Damon and watching the happy crowd dance around and have a good time. She sat up, not quite able to make herself leave Damon's embrace, 'Just let me know when and where. I'm going to be staying with Damon.'

Raven mentally nodded, 'I will.' Then turned back to wherever Aeth was leading her.

Topaz sighed to herself; she had to get away from Damon for a little while. He seemed to have found a new ability, one that completely through off her senses and self-discipline whenever he was near her, "I'm going to go for a walk." She said lightly.

He nodded and let her up, "Be careful. If you need anything, just call for me." He wanted to follow her, but sensed that she needed time alone. He would give her what she needed.

"Thanks." She replied, truly grateful that he didn't offer to go with her, but made sure that she knew he would be around should something go amiss. With a quick smile she walked towards the edge of the woods and, pulling out her sword, began to practice her skills on a tree.

Hunter continued to enjoy the festivities, though a little less so due to Topaz being gone.

Raven continued to follow Aeth. She allowed herself to fall into thought, letting him guide her. It had only been one day, not even that, in this village and she already found herself trusting Aeth more than she thought she could have… and trusting herself less. He had all of Ares' looks and that voice, but none of the godlike arrogance. In fact, he was almost the exact opposite of the god he had once been. Again, for a split second, she thought twice about returning him to Olympus, but her promise forced that out of her mind. He was born to be a god… and was her cousin. She owed him that much. The thought of him being family was almost enough to make her stop in her tracks. Why did she really keep turning him down? The scars he'd left in her past were there, but she had pushed them away. It was over and done with, time to move on. His attitude, she hated to admit it, but she was a little drawn to his power. She didn't like his cruel ways, but the only real argument she could come up with anymore against him was their relation to each other. First cousins. Ew.

She was snapped back to reality by Aeth stopping. They came upon a small area barely big enough to be called a clearing, but lush and vibrant and very alive. Trees provided a canopy of more shades of green than man could ever name and a weeping willow lent its wispy branches for added shade on those hot days. The ground was alive with greens and the occasional flower. Dense lower foliage gave the impression of being completely cut off from the rest of the world while being completely protected. A cool breeze wafted through, stirring leaves gently, making them sing and talk in a language all their own.

Raven looked in awe at the scene before her, suddenly getting a feeling that she was on the border between heaven and earth.

"I like to come here to think. It's quite peaceful, no matter what time of day it is." He told her as her watched her face. He felt happier watching the awe on her face than any other time her could remember. He also couldn't remember hearing about anyone every looking so kissable as she did right then. He allowed himself a moment to imagine what she would feel like wrapped in his arms and how she would taste like wildflowers.

She finally overcame the initial awe, "I'd imagine. It's beautiful here. So quiet." Her voice was barely above a whisper, like she felt she would break the tranquility of the place if her voice was loud. Her eyes moved over to his, "Thank you for this. It's incredible."

He met her eyes, "The most beautiful thing I have ever seen." He whispered.

She forced her eyes away from his as emotions conflicted inside her. One good mental push and she was able to repress them yet again. Then simply closed her eyes and lifted her face to the breeze, the sun, and the amazing feeling of freedom she felt here.

He didn't say anymore, but after a moment moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her, "Thank you for coming here with me." He whispered in her ear.

Raven's knees buckled for a moment, causing her to fall back against him slightly before she could lock her knees and regain balance. She relaxed her knees and felt her breath returning. Had that simple touch made her breathless? At least she'd been able to pull of her loss of equilibrium as simply leaning back on him, but her eyes were open now and she was far too aware of how he felt against her. Still, she found enough of her voice to respond lightly, "I should thank you for bringing me here."

Aeth held her a little tighter when he felt her lean against him. His heart felt like it was going to break through his chest and he knew that if he let go of her, he was going to die, "I'm just glad you're here with me." He said a bit breathily.

She closed her eyes at his breathy voice, a tremble starting deep inside her. She wondered if Ares would have inspired the same feeling in her if they'd ever gotten this close. Her arms laid over his, hands resting on his, and she leaned back to rest her head on him. Being at just the right height, she was able to tuck her face next to his neck comfortably. Something nagged at the back of her mind that she needed to tell him, but her mind wouldn't clear enough for her to concentrate on it.

Aeth leaned them both back against a tree, afraid that without help he would forget how to stand, "This may sound odd, but do I know you from somewhere before here?" He had been longing to know why she made his blood burn in him whenever he glimpsed her and why he had dreamed about her vividly throughout the times he could remember. He wanted to know if he had known her, but had been afraid to ask her about it because in his dreams she would never even smile at him. He was afraid that she had hated him, but if that was true then why did she agree to come into the woods with him?

Raven was pulled out of her revelry by his question. She closed her eyes tightly, praying that he hadn't just asked that, then composed herself. She could give him an honest answer without revealing anything, right? She wasn't sure, but was willing to give it a try. She gave a small nod, "Yes. We knew each other."

"What were we?" He asked then proceeded to hold his breath, praying that she would tell him anything except that they were enemies.

She chose her words carefully, trying to guard her voice without making it obvious, "We were… acquaintances." She took a quick breath to steady herself, but a cold feeling still ran through her just before she said the next words. 'He has to know.' She told herself, but still felt numb as she said it, "And family. Cousins, to be exact."

Ares heard the words, but had to take a moment for them to sink in. She was FAMILY? He let his breath out, he was wrong. Enemies could settle differences but family couldn't be changed. He closed his eyes for a moment and realized that there was a chance that they were distant cousins, or related through a marriage. After all, if they were close family why would she have given him the slight encouragement that she had... or were they like this all the time? Is this how they showed their family love? And it meant nothing more to her then that? He didn't know if he could ask her, but he had to know,

"Were we close family?" His voice was a bit shaky.

She closed her eyes. The shake in his voice was killing her, just as she was sure her news was killing him. The tremble she'd felt inside earlier had been replaced by something painful; she hurt inside. She knew that, with her next words, she would seal their fate. They were family, first cousins, that was the truth and how it had to be, "First cousins." She answered simply and softly. Even as she said the words, she had a moment of clarity; she had a promise to keep to Dite. She needed to tell Topaz what she'd found and work towards getting Damon's and Ares' memory back, as well as Ares' godhood. Olympus needed him more than she ever would. She told herself this so confidently, she even thought she believed herself.

Ares let out a painful breath, so this is it. He had found someone that made him feel a way that he knew no one else ever could and she was his first cousin. She had been showing him no more then love of a family member. He felt a cold numbness set inside of him as he realized that she would never feel for him the things that he felt for her. And she shouldn't, they were family and even for him to want her to feel the way he did was wrong. He shouldn't feel this way about her at all, but he wasn't at all sure of how to make himself stop, "Thank you for telling me that, I guess we must have been close." His voice was dull, even through he tried to sound happy, but fell quite short of it.

Raven took a breath, "Trust me, everything about our family was more complicated then simple yes or no answers." She had to get away, get to Topaz so they could set everything back. She felt the numbness she so clearly heard in his voice. Numbness and pain. This time, though, the feelings wouldn't just be pushed back. Something had changed in her over the past day. All she knew now was that she needed to go set things right.

Aeth nodded. "It's starting to get late, we should had back towards the village. Do you already have a place to stay?"

Raven shook her head, "No. I was figuring on camping out." Her tone shifted easily into a casual tone.

Aeth smiled, one that he couldn't make reach his eyes, "Don't be silly, you're family, you'll stay with me." His tone was a forced light one.

She nodded, "Thank you."

"Of course. Now let's head back to the village before we're missed too much." He stepped back, tucked her arm in his and started towards the town.

When they returned, they found that the party had quieted down. Most of the villagers were back in their homes. Once they reached the edge of town, Raven stopped and looked up at Aeth, "I need to talk to Topaz. Where do you live? If you point it out to me, I can make my way there when I'm ready."

Aeth pointed the house out, "No rush. Come in whenever you're ready."

She gave a grateful smile, "Thank you." And headed off to look for Topaz, 'Hey, where'd ya vanish off to?' She asked mentally.

Topaz had stopped picking on the poor trees and was simply going through movements in the air. She heard Raven's mental and told her where she was.

Raven walked into the area and leaned against a tree, "Hey. Found some things out that might help us."

Topaz didn't look over at Raven, nor did she stop her movements, "That's a good thing. The sooner we fix them, the better off everyone will be."

Raven cocked her head to the side, reading Topaz like she could never read herself, "He's getting to you." She stated matter-of-factly.

"And Aeth isn't getting to you?" Topaz asked in the same tone Raven had used.

Raven simply nodded, "Yeah, actually, he is." She replied, "But that's not what I came to tell you. I found magic traces in the village and followed them to their sources."

"And the sources were where?"

Raven stated pacing slightly, gesturing a little with her hands, "Well, I wasn't completely sure until Ar… Aeth showed me where he lived." She stopped and turned to Topaz, "The sources are Hunter's house, Aeth's house, and the small temple at the edge of town."

"And I'm guessing this isn't going to be as easy as destroy the temple and fix the problem?" Topaz spun her sword for a moment, then sheathed it, and looked at Raven.

"Not unless you want to include their homes in that and hope we get whatever is causing this in the first place."

Topaz sighed and shook her head, "I don't wanna chance making this their final state." Topaz looked off for a moment, "What about Ares sword? Can you find that?"

Raven raised an eyebrow, "I can see if I can sense it, but I haven't felt the power it kicks off so far." She closed her eyes for a moment then shook her head, a confused look on her face, "I can sense it, but it's like it's blocked or has a shield around it. It's not as strong of a power signature as it should have and I can't pinpoint it."

"But can you get a general area?"

Raven gave a wry look, "The village."

Topaz sighed, "Then I'm going to check out the temple and then head to Dam... I mean, Hunter's house."

Raven nodded, "I'll check out Aeth's house. Good luck." She added just before heading back to Aeth's house.

"You, too." Topaz called over her shoulder as she turned and started for the temple.

The temple was well hidden at the very edge of town, almost covered by dense trees and rising foliage. It gave the impression that it hadn't been used for years. Once she was past the deep brush and through the trees, a temple that didn't seem to have any real affiliation loomed in front of her, almost as tall as the surrounding trees. The doors were slightly askew, making it easy for her to slip in and find a main room covered in cobwebs and dust. To make the picture perfectly eerie, everything in the temple looked untouched; pillars and alters in place, ceremonial cups that were spotless but for dust, curtains draped over doorways that looked brand new if a little dirty.

Topaz shook her head, "And I'm off to see the god of dust." She started to look around the temple.

Every room seemed to be untouched but for the layers of dust. The only thing out of place was a candle in a very small side alter room. The room was warm and the wick and candle were warm enough to have been burnt in the past couple hours.

Topaz made a mental note about the odd spot and headed back to the last place she had seen Damon.

She found him lying in the spot they'd been sitting, looking at the stars. The subtle light from the moon made the different between his white skin and black hair much more striking. Topaz stopped as she had a hard time breathing for a second, then gave herself a mental kick and walked over by him, "Sorry I was gone so long."

He looked up at her and smiled, "No prob." Then looked back up at the sky, "The stars are real clear tonight." And looked at her again, "Do you stargaze at all?" His eyes were so black the stars seemed to reflect off of them. It was like looking into another universe in his eyes.

Topaz was looking in his eyes and took a moment before realizing that he had been talking to her, "I used to as a child, but I travel alone a lot so I can't get lost looking at the stars. I have to pay attention to what's going on around me or I'd end up dead." She found herself actually regretting not stargazing.

He nodded and patted the ground next to him, "You're safe here. Join me, please?"

She nodded and slipped onto the ground. However it took her a moment to be able to pull her gaze away from him and look at the brilliant night sky.

"They're beautiful." She almost whispered.

"Incredibly beautiful." He murmured almost distractedly.

Topaz lifted her hips long enough to take off her weapon belt and lay more comfortably on the ground, "Do you do this often?" She turned to look at him.

She found him staring at her. He blinked when she turned and gave a soft smile, "Yeah, I try to." His voice matched his smile. He wanted to kiss her so badly. It seemed so strange to him that he had allowed this beautiful woman to remain just friends with him for so long.

Topaz darted her tongue out to wet her suddenly dry lips and found herself smiling back at him, "It must be wonderful to feel so safe all the time." She commented, mostly to break the strange silence between them.

His eyes stayed locked with hers, the smile half-fading but still there, "It is nice to feel safe, but it's also nice to not feel lost." He touched her cheek with the back of his finger, "Topaz, can I be perfectly honest with you?" His almost sounded unsure; like he was worried he might scare her away.

She nodded, unable to figure out how to speak while he looked at her like that.

He tilted his head slightly, watching his finger brush lightly along her jaw line, "Since they found me, the village, I've felt like something was missing. Not just my past, but a part of me. And somehow…" He met her eyes again, "Somehow I feel like I've found that missing part of myself in you eyes."

Topaz bit her lower lip to keep it from quivering at his touch. She knew that she should get up and leave right then, but she couldn't seem to make her body respond to this logical action, "What part were you missing?" She heard herself saying it; even through she had been determined to remain silent.

"My heart. My soul." Was his whispered reply.

"Oh." was all she could manage as a reply. Her head was spinning, her heart was in her stomach, and she was enjoying the most helpless feeling she had ever had.

He couldn't have stopped himself if he'd wanted to. It was all perfect; he was reacting as naturally as he could. His breath caught in his throat. He leaned in just far enough to brush their lips, feeling his usually unbeating heart skip at the contact.

Topaz felt any defenses she had left slip away, as their lips touched. She leaned into him and kissed him.

The back of his hand ran down her cheek, coming to gently curve around the side of her neck, thumb running along her jaw line. He wanted to stay like that forever, just kissing her for eternity.

Topaz let her hands rest on Damon's chest, breaking the kiss after a while for air. She drew in a shaky breath and let out one equally as unsteady. Her eyes were still closed and she leaned into him.

He held her, both hands moving down to her back. His breathing also unsteady. He nuzzled into her hair, placing a kiss there, and closed his eyes.

Topaz was shaking slightly. Everything about this night was intense, but she didn't think that Damon would appreciate her and Hunter taking all the liberties they had, much less doing any more. Topaz carefully blocked her emotions off as much as she could, "I think I need sleep." She said her voice was still unsteady.

Hunter nodded, "Alright." He said softly, loosening his grip on her. He could somehow feel her unease and, stranger still, somehow understood it.

She pushed herself up and picked up her weapon belt, careful to avoid his eyes, "So which way to the house?" She kept her tone light.

He nodded in a direction as he stood, "Just ahead. You can stay in the guest room. I think there's more room in there then in the entire rest of the house." He joked.

Topaz gave a soft laugh, "I thought the largest bedroom was a master bedroom?"

"It's supposed to be. I liked the smaller room. So I let guests have the larger one. It's also less for me to clean." He said with a smirk and gestured for her to precede him.

She shook her head and started walking, "I'll try not to make a mess of it then."

He gave a bit of a laugh, "Actually, it's seen a few fights. Don't worry about it. But thanks for the thought."

She turned to look at him, "Fights?"

He shrugged, "Yeah. Me and some of the other guys, especially Aeth, like to spare. Unfortunately for our houses, it tends to start up unexpectedly."

She laughed, "That will do it."

He nodded, they were at his house. He opened the door for her, "The guest room is at the back. It's really hard to miss."

"Thanks." She offered a small smile. "Goodnight."

He returned the smile and nodded, "Sleep well."

She walked into the room he was letting her use and shut the door. She leaned against it and let out a breath, "Focus Topaz. Just remember why you're here." She quietly told herself. Then she started to look around the room, trying to find anything that looked like the strange things she had found in the temple, or anything else that seemed at all out of place.

The room was rather large, it reminded her of the rooms at Damon's manor, far too big for anyone in this village to find a use for. It was clean, but showed signs of use like any other room in the house. Everything looked normal, except one corner at the far back of the room. It was faint, but there was an outline that made it look like something was missing that should've been there. It appeared to have been a table of sorts.

Topaz went over to the corner and tapped the walls in that area and found that they were all solid.

"So where's the table?" She asked herself aloud.

After pondering it for a moment, she sighed and realized that, unless Hunter left her alone in the house, she probably wasn't going to find anything here. She went over to the bed and, after setting her weapons belt within easy reach, flopped onto the bed. From her bed, she had a great view of the night sky and a warm, light breeze that tickled her senses. The sounds of the night were just quiet enough to lull her into drowsiness. Topaz lay there and after a few moments found herself wondering if the night was having the same effect on Hunter. If it was, then maybe he would go to sleep soon and she could look around the house a bit. Deciding that this was a good plan she let herself relax on the bed for a short nap before she started her search.

Raven had wandered halfway around the village and finally convinced herself to get inside. The night was very nice and she was enjoying being out. She quietly entered Aeth's house, careful not to wake him if he was asleep.

Aeth was sitting in a chair with a lamp light next to him and a book. He looked up as she came into the house and smiled at her warmly, "Did you enjoy yourself?"

She looked over and nodded with a small smile, "Yeah, I love wandering at night."

"It is a nice night out." He commented placing a marker in his book. He stood up with the book and held out the lamp to Raven, "The guest room is the one at the end of the hall. If you need anything, my room is the first door on the left."

She nodded and took the light, "Thanks." Inside she was silently praying she wouldn't find herself in his room, but she pushed the uncertainty away and headed back to her room.

She walked into what looked like a master bedroom. It had many small puncture holes throughout the walls, like several things had been tacked up at one point, but other then that the room seemed unused.

Knowing better than to think she'd get any sleep, she walked by the walls and took a closer look at the holes. They were just regular puncture holes nothing special about them at all. She looked around the room, sensing the same magic somewhere near her. It was irritating, but a welcome distraction from the other person in the house. In her examining, she came across an area that, unbeknownst to her, matched the one in Topaz's room exactly. She knelt down to get a better look and felt nearly bathed in a shield of residual magic. She sucked in a quick breath and risked touching the wall. The touch electrified her as a bolt of pure magical energy shot up her arm, nearly knocking her unconscious. She gasped and fell back, feeling the strange energy coursing through her body. The magic snaked a path through her, it felt like it was trying to contain her power, but there wasn't enough of it to do the job right. Curious, and knowing she shouldn't, she let the magic run through her. She felt it weaving through her own powers, then, much to her surprise, it actually melded with her own inner magic.

In the main room, Aeth felt a wave of warmth through him just before he heard Raven's scream.

Aeth was flinging the door to Raven's room open almost before her scream stopped echoing off the walls, "What's wrong?!" His voice did nothing to hide conceal his concern for her.

She was on the floor, not moving. Her eyes, wide open, were completely the ice blue color her irises usually were.

Aeth dropped down beside her and cradled her face, "Raven! Raven, can you hear me?!"

Her body shuddered violently, then her eyes closed and she lay still again. Aeth picked her up and held her to him, then went in search of the village healer.

His house was in the middle of town. A healthy, middle-aged woman with a graying bun of hair opened the door. She took one look at the two of them and ushered him in, "Lay her on the table, dear."

To his right, Aeth could see a small medical area with a table. He did as he was told and put her on the table. He stood over, her wishing for nothing more then her eyes to open again.

The woman toddled away, returning a moment later with a man right behind her. He nodded to Aeth, then looked down at Raven for a moment. Never looking away, he asked, "What is wrong?" This question, as stupid as it seemed, was his way of prompting an explanation for why this person was here.

"I don't know, she went into her room and then I heard a scream and when I went in to check on her she was all but unconscious. When her eyes shut I brought her here." Aeth explained hurriedly.

The man nodded and pulled out a few instruments, giving her a more thorough examination. He started at seeing her eyes and shook his head before continuing. He put his tools down a few minutes later, "There's nothing I can do. She appears to be under the affects of some sort of magic. I can't help her. This is her fight, whatever it is."

Aeth had a helpless look on his face, but nodded, "If there's nothing that can be done then I'm going to take her back and put her to bed."

The doctor nodded, "Good idea. Go ahead." He stepped out of the way, "Let her rest. Whatever is attacking her is taxing her."

Aeth picked up Raven and brought her to the house, setting her back on the bed she was going to use. Then pulling a chair next to it, sat holding her hand, trying to will her back.

It was around midnight when a dream of sorts entered Topaz's mind that she would remember so clearly the next day that it could've been mistaken for a memory. She saw quick flashes of a pillar of red energy, a man standing in front of it, and one crystal suspended in the red energy. It took her a moment to realize that the room she was seeing had the same décor as the temple, but was one she hadn't seen. Her attention was brought back to the crystal as small energy vortex swirled around it. The man muttered something in a foreign language and the crystal slowly became three crystals: one larger one with two smaller ones to either side. Then something odd happened; the crystals started absorbing the red energy and glowing an ever-intensifying shade of red. It was only after most of the energy had been absorbed that the larger one gave a bright flash, followed by the smaller ones in unison. The dream faded to black and Topaz's sleep was uninterrupted.

At the same time, Raven experienced something that would make her question her sanity. She opened her eyes to see a vaguely familiar roof, wondering for a moment, and then realizing she was in Aeth's house. She sat up to look over at the corner she'd been exploring and saw him sitting next to the bedside. Her heart nearly stopped just before she noticed that he wasn't looking at her, he was looking at the bed. She turned slightly and saw herself still lying on the bed. A tug pulled her attention back to the corner. In the place where there had only been a shadow of a table, there was now a table with a crystal glowing softly red. Her eyebrow rose as she scooted forward to look at it. A strange urge to touch it overcame her entire being and she watched helplessly as her hand reached out and wrapped firmly around the surprisingly warm crystal. If a spirit could've held its breath, she would've been. Watching from a distance, like an out-of-body experience, she saw herself crush the obviously magical crystal. Her hand opened, revealing a ball of red light. Then she turned and walked back over to the bed, lying back down in her body. Somehow she knew what she had to do once she woke up. And that would be very soon.

Just after midnight, Aeth saw Raven stirring slightly. Aeth removed one hand from hers and touched her cheek gently, "Raven?"

She opened her eyes and looked up at him with a slightly confused expression. Her hand reached up and touched his cheek. For a moment, all he saw was red. Then, in a surprisingly gentle wave, Ares' memories returned. Ares blinked and swallowed, then focused on Raven again. He didn't move for a moment then, finally had to voice the question in his mind, "Why?" His voice was still soft, but he was obviously trying to get his usual tone back.

Raven didn't answer. Her eyes flashed the solid blue color again and she passed out. Ares couldn't help the concern on his face, "Raven!" Ares leaned closer to her and rubbed her cheek, "Come on Princess. Wake up, you're stronger then this."

Her eyes squeezed shut then opened, "That was weird." She looked up at him and was very glad she didn't want to say anymore at the moment cause she couldn't have.

Ares looked her in the eyes, "Are you going to stay here this time?"

She simply nodded, not sure she could do more. Ares sat back and offered her a hand to sit up, "What happened?" He was starting to school his features so she couldn't see all the emotions he felt looking at her.

Surprising herself, she took his hand, "I'm not sure. I think whatever magic took your memories was able to meld with my magic. It made me able to see the stand whose… dust… is over there." She explained, nodding over to the corner.

Ares looked over at the corner, forgetting to release her hand. Now that he was consciously looking, he saw a shadow, of sorts, in the rough shape of a table or altar.

Raven watched his face, wondering how he was going to deal with being mortal. It wasn't something he'd ever done before for any length of time and now he had no choice until they found his sword. There was also fear, fear of how things would be between them. He wasn't the god of war right now and that made her a little unsure of how to act around him. She was used to fighting him, but things were different now for a lot of reasons that she wouldn't even let herself think about.

Ares studied the shadow then shook his head, and turned back to Raven, "Do you have to go back into a coma to fix Fang-boy, or can you do that with the information you got here?"

She shrugged, oddly not noticing that their hands were still together, "I didn't get much for info. I just kinda knew what I needed to do. I can't see the table anymore and don't know if I'll be able to again. It might have been a one-shot thing or I might be able to see things again tomorrow night." She kept her voice calm and controlled, hiding the emotions just being near him stirred up in her.

Ares just nodded, he sat there looking at her for a moment. Part of him wanted to tell her what last night had meant to him and what she meant to him. And to find out why she had been the way she had with him, like she actually cared. But the other part of him knew that she wouldn't want to hear it and probably wouldn't answer if he did ask. He mentally sighed and pulled his hand away from hers, ignoring the cold empty feeling that replaced her warmth, and stood up, "If you're alright, I'm going to go lay down. Aeth was watching you all night and, as a mortal, I need to rest."

The loss of warmth on her hand reminded her that they had been holding hands. She looked down at her hand almost in wonder that it had felt so natural. She wanted to reach out and take his hand again, to say 'thank you'. She wanted to hug him. Or even look up at him. But all she did was nod, never looking away from her hand.

Ares hesitated another moment, then resigned himself for sleep for a while.

Raven waited until she was sure he was asleep, then walked into Aeth's room. She walked over and, kneeling beside his bed, touched his cheek lightly enough to not wake him and whispered, "Thank you."

To her surprise, he nuzzled into her hand slightly and sighed in his sleep. She started for a moment, then relaxed and sighed in relief. She stood up and walked back out to the main room.

Her hand rested on the windowsill as she tried to regain her equilibrium. She had been deathly afraid of him waking up to her touch. And even more afraid of trying to explain what she was doing. It was hard enough or her to accept that she felt something other then hatred for him. Just the look in his eyes when she'd woken up after falling unconscious for the second time had shown her more than she could deal with. Raw emotion, fear, had been so pointed then. And it'd been all she could do to not hug him. But she'd held herself back. Something about it had been wrong. Just touching him seemed too risky now. She was afraid of her own feelings for the first time in her life… and it was for her own cousin. She shook her head and took in a deep breath of night air to clear her head. It was gonna be a long night.

The next morning came slower then most ever had. But not slow enough for the events of the next day.

The sun had barely peeked over the hills when the sound of hoof beats echoed off the forest around the village. Raven was outside at the first noise, watching what looked like an army of men invade the village.

Topaz, who had spent the better part of the night after her dream searching unsuccessfully, joined Raven outside. Hunter was out a moment later. Topaz gave Raven an odd look and glanced back at the army, "Any clues?"

Raven's gaze never wandered from the approaching mass, her voice and face calm, "Only that there is a now-ex god of war living in this village as a mortal man." She replied quietly.

Hunter's curiosity was perked by that answer, but he kept his thoughts to himself. Topaz gave a small laugh, "People know him before he knows himself."

"He knows who he is."

"How?"

"I had a run-in with some interesting magic and saw a table in the guest room. I don't remember much, but I know that I was the one that gave him back his memory." Raven explained.

Topaz just nodded and mentally said, 'Looked like there might have been one in Damon… er… Hunter's house, but I couldn't find it.'

Raven gave a small nod. Ares stepped out of the house and looked at the approaching army. He gave a sigh, "They really are that dumb." The leader was familiar; a Roman transplant-e who had caught his eye nearly a year ago, but had proven to be too unpredictable to be trusted. As if losing a few battles wasn't enough, the guy swore he would find a way to get back at Ares for just throwing him out so easily. Ares just walked back into the house and went pack his stuff. It'd taken him less than a second to realize that, as long as he was in this village, the people who had taken care of him would be killed.

Raven had seen Ares and raised an eyebrow just before she realized what he was doing. She sighed, "Topaz, Hunter, try to figure this out. I have to talk to… Aeth."

Topaz nodded and looked at Hunter, "I'm gonna go have a talk with the… head idiot. Make sure you pick up your sword at the house and keep it on you, just incase. And try to stay out of their way."

Hunter raised an eyebrow, but nodded and ran back to his house. He was back quicker than should've been possible with his sword sheathed at his side.

Raven followed Ares back into the house, "What are you doing?" She stopped for a moment, realizing how stupid that question was and tried again, "You can't leave." She said stated simply.

"Watch me."

"Ares, where there's one, there's more. Are you just going to run from whoever comes after you?"

"I'm not running from them. There's no strategic area in this entire valley that makes staying here worth it."

"So… what? You're planning to sneak out of the village and go find a strategic cave to hole yourself up in?"

"I was the god of war, princess. Do you really think I'm dumb enough to start a battle I can't win?"

She leaned on a wall near him, "Don't know, you've never been mortal before. You never had to worry about dieing as a god. I'm not sure what you think you can do as a mortal."

"Maybe I've never had to deal with being human before, but I've hung around enough of them, I know what they're capable of."

"You've observed them before, Ares. As a god you were never one of them. Now you are. Things are different whether you want to admit it or not."

"Maybe, but I know in this village, myself aside, there are two good fighters. Maybe three if Hunter is anywhere near decent with a sword like Damon was. So if I stay here, this town is going to get killed along with me. And I'm not gonna die."

"You're saving the village?"

"Happens to be in my best interest."

"But you're leaving to save the village, and yourself in the process."

"I really don't care what happens to this village. I just care what's going to happen to me if I stay in this village. The people of this village took both Damon and I in, with the hope that we were as harmless as we appeared. They'll probably do the same for the army. They're all stupid."

"So let me get this straight. You don't care what happens to this village, yet you're leaving to save it and yourself?"

"I'm leaving the village. I'm going to form an army and I'm going to get my sword back. Then I'm going to decimate him. Just like I always do to anyone who opposes me."

"You're going to go, as a mortal, to form an army and find your sword that you don't have to slightest clue where it is?" Her tone because more matter-of-fact, "And I opposed you all the time."

"That's about the size of it." He said a little too calmly, ignoring the last part of her comment."

But Raven was determined to set her own curiosity to rest, "Ares, I opposed you all the time. If you are so quick to remove any who go against you, why haven't I been taken out? I'm sure you could find a way."

"You're different and you know that." He closed his makeshift suitcase and headed for the door.

She stood up and walked in front of him, "What makes me so different? So incredibly different that you haven't removed me from the picture after being a thorn in your side for so long?"

Ares got a very guarded look, "You know how you're different, princess." He said in an almost irritated voice.

She shook her head, "No, I'm not sure. Not after this bloody long of you always being just out of sight. Why have you always stayed around, even when I told you to leave? Obsession doesn't cover it, that would've worn off after a few hundred years." Her voice quieted a little, showing her honest wonder, "What has made me so different that, after almost two thousand years, you still stay around me?"

Ares looked intensely at her, "You're different because I love you. Because despite how powerful you are and your chaotic side and your will to fight even if it means your own death, you stand against me. You get under my skin; undermine me wherever you can, sometimes I truly wonder if you wouldn't just kill me if you had the chance. And I know, even if you had the dagger to my throat, so to speak, I still wouldn't be able to take you, because I love you."

Raven looked at him, unable to comprehend what he had said. All she managed was, "I've had the Helios dagger for years. I could never bring myself to use it."

Ares was still puzzling over what he had just admitted, but the warrior in him knew he couldn't waste the time to sort it out now, "This isn't the time nor the place, princess." And he walked past her and out the door.

His words had snapped her out of her daze. She turned and watched him leave, muttering, "We've had two thousand years, Ares. When will it be?"

Ares froze just outside of the door, "In those two thousand years, how often did you listen? At least, to me?"

Her tone never changed, even as she felt her world start to crumble around her, "I'm listening."

"We have an army breathing down the back of our necks. We don't have time now."

She gave a simple curt nod, fighting back emotions she knew couldn't be examined now, giving a cold, "Fine." And brushed by him to help Hunter and Topaz.

Ares found himself watching her until she was out of sight. For the first time in his life, feeling the urge to cry. Then started to walk off himself.

Hunter and Topaz watched the army approach. The leader stopped his horse, but didn't dismount. He was tall, even for being on a horse, and built like a brick shit-house. Straggly blonde hair curled down over his forehead and shoulders in dirty tumbles. His eyes were grey and cold, made that way by years of battle, and a still slightly puckered scar sat within millimeters of his right eye. His armor was well worn, but in good shape. His lip curled into a snarl as he growled, "Where is he?"

"I don't know who you're talking about, but I'd suggest for your own health, and that of your army's, that you leave this place before somebody gets hurt."

The man looked at her and laughed, "Get out of my way, girly. I'm looking for Ares, the former god of war. Have it on good standing that he's hiding his cowardly ass here."

Topaz gave a disbelieving look, "Girly?! I'm standing here, with a total of six weapons, none of which can be used at the same time, telling you to get your cronies out of town. Where as you had to bring an entire army to find one human? I think you got the girly wrong."

He growled and reached for his sword, "With that low-life you can never be too careful. Now, move, or I'm gonna send you back to your mommy and daddy with more than a broken nail."

Topaz pulled out her sword and took a step back so he could dismount safely, "Unlike you, I don't have to worry about my nails."

He jumped down with a snarl and drew his sword, "You're gonna pay for that one, woman." He said and swung at her.

His blow was wild, but Topaz jumped back, not sure if he was playing her or not.

"You know, if you slide you left hand up on the hilt a little bit, you'll get a better swing." She commented.

His answer was yet another wild swing aimed for her head, but easily blocked. Topaz came around with an attack of her own aimed at his sword arm. He barely jumped out of the way with a yelp. Topaz managed somehow to repress a laugh, "That is truly one of the cutest things I have ever heard."

He yelled in anger and charged her, sword first. Topaz stood to the side and struck him in the head with her hilt as he ran past her. She heard a groan of pain and heard him hit the ground. She looked up at the rest of the army, "Do I have any more volunteers?"

There were a few whispers among the crowd before they turned their horses back without a word.

"Smarter than their leader." Topaz muttered.

"Maybe, but I don't like how compliant they are." Hunter commented.

"Maybe not, but when you take out the head of an army you have two choices; I chose to let them go."

Hunter nodded silently. Raven walked back into the village at this point with a cold face. She walked over to Topaz and said in a very controlled voice, "Good job. Now let's hope they stay away."

Topaz turned to Hunter, "Think you can follow them just outside the village? Make sure they leave. Without being seen?"

He smirked and nodded, "Yeah." And walked over to the forest near the village, seeming to vanish into it.

Topaz turned back to Raven, "Spill it."

Raven's gaze stayed locked on the direction the army had just gone, "He left."

"He left where, exactly?"

Raven shrugged, "Don't know. Said he was going to form an army and find his sword."

"By himself? With no idea where it is?"

"According to him."

"And you let him?"

"Why not?"

"Because he's a stupid mortal, who's gonna get himself killed!"

"He may not be a god, but he can take care of himself." Raven replied, even as she felt doubt slipping into her mind.

"Raven, the guy's used to being invincible. He's gonna catch a cold and die from it because he doesn't know how to take care of himself."

Raven sighed, "So what do you propose?"

"That we find a way to put him back where he needs to be. Weren't you the one that said we had to put him back there for Dite's sake?"

Raven blinked and almost seemed caught off guard for a moment, "Yeah, you're right." She sighed, "I should've known better than to let him walk off. Let's go find him… wait, what about Hunter?"

"Hey, I'm not letting you go off to save my friend without me." He interjected.

"That was a quick retreat." Topaz commented.

He shrugged with a half smile, "They tore off once they were outside of the village. Headed off to the mountains for some reason."

"Good riddance." She replied.

Raven didn't look convinced, "Something's not right."

Ares had only been walking for a small distance when he heard hoof beats behind him. He stepped off the main path and looked to see the source of the hoof beats. Ten men on horseback rode up next to him. One turned to him, "Ares?"

Ares gave them a slightly odd look, "No, my name is Aeth."

The man nodded and two men he hadn't even heard grabbed Ares' arms. Then he heard the sound of shackles and felt cold metal biting into the skin of his wrists and neck. He struggled against his restraints and felt the unfamiliar sting of taut leather snapping at the back of his knees then the hard ground biting into them as he fell.

"What the hell do you want?" He snarled out.

The man on the horse laughed, "Just what every warrior who was turned away by the god of war wants: a chance at payback. Bring 'im, boys."

Ares felt a sharp pain and felt noxious just before the world faded around him.

When he woke up, he felt cold and sore. Ares remained still for a few moments, listening to see if he could make out anybody around him. The only sound was the noise outside of wherever he was. He opened his eyes and tried to sit up. Groaning with the effort. A few sharp stabs of pain made motion difficult, but he was able to sit up and found himself in a rock dungeon. There was one door to his left and a single barred window there letting in what appeared to be twilight. Ares tested the sturdiness of his binds. Giving up after a few useless, but painful, tries, "Brilliant, Ares. First teach 'em how you think and then think them too dumb to believe it." He bitched to himself.

After a few tries, he managed to get himself to his feet and moved to check the door. Finding no help there, Ares sat in a corner, leaning the back of his head up against the wall. He realized, and somehow accepted, that he was going to die. The only thing he couldn't seem to accept was how he walked away from Raven. He knew he should be trying to figure out how to get out of this, but he couldn't get her off his mind. He gave a painful smile, hoping that she would miss him when he was dead… or at least come to visit.

A banging on the door interrupted his thoughts, "Sounds like you're awake in there, huh?" A crude laugh followed, "Now we can have some fun."

The door opened with a bang that nearly shook the wall he was leaning back on and three guys who looked more like giants than fighters lumbered in and grabbed him. They yanked him up by the chains and dragged him out of the cell. By the time they threw him back down on the ground, he was in a completely different area of the building. As soon as the few stars cleared from his vision from the sudden impact on the stone floor, he could see lush carpeting and a throne that was nearly the size of the wall it was in front of. The man stepping down from it was roughly the same size as the three that had greeted Ares and he walked over to him and crouched down, "Welcome to my palace, slave." He grabbed Ares' hair and yanked him up to look at him, "I am your master now."

"Now if only you could conquer your own ego, you'd be all set."

His words were answered with a backhand. The ring felt like it had taken some skin with it, "You should talk, formerly great god of war." He retorted venomously.

Ares was reeling from the blow. He looked at the guy, "I may be a former god, but at least I started high. The only high you're ever gonna get is on a mountain."

The guy smiled cruelly, "And the closest thing you're gonna see to Mount Olympus is gonna be the stone walls of your cell."

Ares laughed, "Just make sure you tell yourself that when you find out what true pain is."

The next thing Ares felt was the shrieking pain of his head being slammed onto the floor, "Oh, I know much about pain. All of which I intend to educate you in. I wonder how long your mortal body will last while being tortured."

Ares waited until he could see straight again, "And just what do you think is going to happen when my mortal body dies?"

The man sneered, "Dunno. Where do ex-gods go when they die? Maybe you'll just fade away or maybe you'll get real lucky and go to Tartarus where all the people you killed will be with you for eternity. Wouldn't you like that?"

"You truly are stupid, aren't you? All gods, at one point or another, take mortal form. Yet we never seem to decrease in our number. When I die, I'll simply be getting my godhood back. And then I'll deal with all you idiots. Make sure you have the time of our life." Ares threatened.

"I'm not falling for your games, slave." The guy replied with a kick to Ares' ribs, eliciting a sickening crack, "I know all about gods and how they come to be. Without your sword, you're just like every other mortal man on the planet. Isn't that right?"

"Poor Ares, looks like the mortals finally got to you, huh?" A familiar, if grating, female voice asked.

Ares went still as soon as he heard her voice, "Discord, so you finally found someone else to be a lapdog for."

She laughed and he felt cold metal on his back, "Better to be a lapdog than on the receiving end of his torture. I hope you enjoy your stay here. I know I will." The metal pressed further and he felt sharp pain and something, probably blood, running over his back.

Ares couldn't keep himself from crying out in pain. Once he regained control, he looked straight at Discord, "I'm gonna get my powers back and you'd better hope whosever lapdog you happen to be at that point can protect you from me." He threatened.

She chuckled, "Ohhh… big threat from such a small man." He felt the tip of the blade on his palm then the searing pain of it cutting through, somehow missing his back, "I love to here you scream." She cooed.

Ares shrieked in pain. "Never did pay attention, Discord." He rasped and fell into a coughing fit, bringing up a bit of blood.

The guy tugged Discord back, "Now, now, leave some for me. You keep this up and he's gonna go out before we're ready."

She pouted, but backed up.

"I always told you to kill somebody when you had the chance or you'd loose it." Ares rasped.

Discord scowled at him, "Yeah, well, you were never a very good teacher. Couldn't even follow your own advice and kill that little bitch Raven, you were so hard up for her."

Ares' head snapped around to her, he managed to ignore the dizzying effect long enough to growl out, "Leave her out of this." The effect, however, was ruined a mere second after when he vomited.

Discord gave a disgusted look, "Ugh, now I remember why mortals are so disgusting." She muttered.

The guy nodded to the three that had carried Ares up and he felt the floor fall away as the chains lifted him. The pain snapped him out of his delirium, even as he hung on the edge of consciousness. The guy sneered, "It's only a matter of time for you, slave. And don't worry about your girlfriend, I have a nice surprise for her when she shows up."

Even unable to say anything, Ares could still think. His only thought was praying to whoever would listen that Raven would not come near that place. He was dragged to a wall and he heard a rattling sound as another chain was latched to his. He could still here the guy's voice, even if he couldn't see him, "I'll keep you here so I can watch you and make use of you whenever the urge strikes." Ares was pulled back up and the guy's fist was the last thing he saw or felt.

Raven, Topaz, and Hunter had been searching for quite awhile trying to find Ares. Even the connection Raven had with him wasn't helping very much due to his mortality. She startled Hunter when she stopped dead in her tracks, "What's wrong?"

She looked forward for a moment, then looked diagonally to the right, "Something's not right. We need to go this way."

"Raven, what's wrong?" Topaz asked.

Raven shook her head, "I don't know." She said out loud, but her mind said, 'What ever is happening, he is concentrating very hard on me not showing up. Which means he really needs help.'

'Do you know where?' Topaz asked.

'All I know is it's in this direction.' She responded as she walked slightly off the path they had been going in.

'How much trouble is he in?'

'All I know is he was concentrating very hard on that thought and it seemed to take everything he had to think it.'

'He's human now, so he has to be some **place**. So why don't you scan ahead and see what we're gonna be walking into.'

Raven gave a barely-noticeable nod and kept walking. A moment later she picked up the pace, her eyes darkening.

'Raven?" Topaz asked uncertainly, keeping pace with her.

'He's hurt. The bastard wanted to kick him while he was down.' Her words were laced with ice even mentally, but edged with something like fear or concern.

'Then you know where he is.'

'I know he's unconscious due to pain, cold and very hungry. I couldn't get much more than that in his current state.'

'Do you even have a general distance?'

'Just at the base of those mountains ahead of us. About a day away.'

'Then why don't we save a day and just blink us?"

Raven stopped and shook her head like she was clearing it, sending a sheepish grin over at Topaz, but nodded. She looked over at Hunter, "Um… Hunter, there's something you need to know about me."

He raised an eyebrow, but stayed silent.

She took a breath, "For the moment, let's just say that I can teleport and will be to get us all to where… Aeth… is faster."

He nodded, "Alright."

Raven nodded and the next thing any of them saw was a huge castle made of grey stone that nearly matched the grey mountain behind it. She walked purposefully up to the door, "I'm guessing it wouldn't be a very good idea to announce ourselves." She commented sarcastically.

"Probably not." Topaz replied.

Raven smirked, "Then get your weapons ready, cause we're barging in." "Actually, Raven, might be better for him if we didn't barge in. We don't know where he is, we don't know who he's with, and we don't know exactly what they're capable of doing to him."

Raven stopped and sighed with closed eyes, "Then we sneak in?"

"Or we find out how dumb they truly are."

Raven raised an eyebrow, "Somehow I don't want to know." Then shook her head and walked over to the wall, trying to find a way in.

A few minutes later, she pushed loose stone that was almost buried in the ground and a patch of grass about two feet squared slid to the side. She gestured to it, "Found a way in."

"So who's going first?" Topaz asked.

Raven rolled her eyes, "Well, if you two aren't, I will." She said and hopped down.

Hunter looked over at Topaz, "Is she always this tense?"

"Only when dealing with Aeth." Topaz replied and hopped down after her.

Hunter shook his head and followed.

They were all greeted by the musty smell of dungeon and voices about fifty feet in front of them.

"Well this is cozy isn't it?" Topaz whispered while pulling out her sword.

"If I'm right." Raven said. "There should be a door way out of here about ten feet ahead of us…however, once we turn this corner up here, we're going to be in their view."

Topaz smiled. "So we need a distraction. Not a problem."

Topaz put her sword away and pulled out her bow and arrow, she looked at Raven. "You want to put a bit of a time delay on they explosion on the tip of this?" she asked as she held up an arrow.

Raven smirked and touched her finger to the tip of the arrow, it glowed bright red. "Not too strong right?" Topaz asked.

"Knock a few unconscious." Raven replied.

"That'll work." Topaz replied.

She maneuvered around Raven and readied her bow before jumping in front of the corner and firing down the center of the hallway. The arrow flew down the hallway and impacted on the wall behind the source of the voices. There were startled yells and at least one yelp amongst them and Raven darted out to the door followed by Topaz and Hunter, Topaz slinging her bow back over her shoulder and pulling out her sword. Once through the door two different hallways branching off met them. Down one, screams and other assorted painful noises could be heard and down the other was an almost disturbing silence. Topaz looked at Raven. "Which way?"

Raven looked down the noisier hallway, the down the quiet one, "It's too quiet down there. I think it's that one. Not to mention, there's a faint signal coming from there."

Topaz gave a curt nod and started down the hall. Raven and hunter followed her. They walked down the hallway for what seemed like an eternity and the hallway never really seemed to change. Once the journey seemed to be becoming very tedious they came upon what appeared to be the end of the hallway, lined with five doors on the far wall.

The cold metal of the shackles biting into his wrists woke Ares. Before his eyes even opened, he felt the unwelcome sensation of a fist connecting with his face. Then another. He suddenly knew what a punching bag felt like as the hits continued.

If there was any question in their minds before, the sounds of rattling chains, crude remarks, and small groans of pain told them where Ares was. Raven tensed and Topaz gripped her arm, "Barge in there and he might be dead." With that, she dropped her arm and continued to walk at a faster pace.

Raven kept pace with her, as did Hunter. They reached the door and could hear Ares' involuntary groans of pain. Topaz looked at Raven, 'I'm gonna go in there first, so that you have an idea of what you're walking into. Think it through first.'

Raven's jaw clenched, but she nodded. Topaz took a couple of moments to remove every weapon except for her sword, which she hid lengthwise down her back. Then opened the door, just wide enough for her to go in. She was greeted by the sight of Ares chained to a wall, and being held up by two lumbering oxen of men while another, dressed in bloodied finery, landed one punch after another on Ares' already bloody and bruised face. Topaz let the door hang open and walked up to them, "Do you treat all your guests like this or is this a special case?"

The man dressed in finery stopped and looked over, "Who are you?" He demanded in a deep baritone.

Topaz looked at him, completely neutral, "Me? I'm the new girl. That doesn't answer the question."

He raised an eyebrow, "New girl?"

Topaz went around him and started checking out Ares, "Yeah, I was hired to keep him alive, but if you're gonna be treating him like this, I don't exactly understand why."

Her wrist was grabbed by the man, "I requested no such help nor do I need or want any. Leave."

"Hey, for the amount of money I'm getting paid for this… the boss can tell me to leave. You have no say here."

"I have every say here, woman. This is my kingdom."

She looked him up and down as she yanked her wrist out of his grasp, "That's not what the guy who paid me said."

"Then he was mistaken or lied. I am the ruler here and you will leave." He growled impatiently.

Topaz sighed, "Look I got the paperwork here." She said, reaching behind her to pull something out.

"Stop! Return your hand to my line of sight."

Topaz got a surprised look and dropped her hand, "What? Are you illiterate?"

He glared at her, "I can read, you nit. But I do not trust people I just met to not try to kill me."

Topaz looked at him stupidly and then looked at the two big guys, "Three large men versus one at best dagger-armed, small female. You can't be serious."

"I am very serious. Assassins come in much smaller and less assuming packages then you."

"And assassins take on three big, burly men?"

"They're been known to do stranger things. And I don't trust you."

"Frankly, I don't care if you trust me or not. Aside from dressing nicely, you don't even exhibit signs of nobility, much less of a ruler. So how do I know that you're not lying to me about who owns this area? Hm?"

He growled, "My way of ruling is none of your concern. Whoever sent you here can have you back."

"Look, I have papers to prove I'm supposed to be here. Do you actually have anything that says you own this area?"

"Yes. I have the deed and royal scrolls to prove my reign. But those are none of your concern! Guards, take her to the dungeon until I can take the time to sort this out."

Four more big, burly men charged in through the other door… and promptly fell unconscious. Raven walked out, "I would advise you to keep your guards out of the room. The rest can join these four, if you would like."

He looked in shock at her, "And who are you?!"

She smirked, "No one you need to know about. Just walk away now."

He grimaced at her and she felt a pain in her leg that brought her to one knee.

"You are taller than I thought you would be. Oh, well. That will have to do." He commented off-handedly.

Raven felt pain arching up her leg. She winced, "Damn, Hind's blood."

Topaz pulled her sword out and decapitated the two guys who were preoccupied with holding Ares limp body up. The ruler chose to ignore Topaz and was moving over to Raven purposefully. Hunter, who had been waiting in the doorway, moved to intercept the ruler.

"I wouldn't advise hurting either of them right now. Really not in your best interest." Topaz said.

The ruler ignored her and drew a sword that looked like it could make one hell of a gash. He swung and was met by Hunter's sword. Topaz ran over to the door the guards had come out of, managed to move the huge guards enough to close the door and lock it. Then turned to see how the fight was going.

Hunter was holding the ruler off rather easily, who was apparently a lot less in shape than he seemed. Under the view of the fight, Raven made her way over to Ares, unnoticed. She found the place where the wall chain and his connected and snapped it, causing his arms to fall to his sides. A cramp in his muscles cleared the fog a bit and reminded him that he was still alive. Raven brushed a bit of bloody hair back from his forehead, "You with me?" She whispered.

Ares tried to formulate a reply, but had to work at it a second time to actually get it out of his mouth, "As with you as I ever am." He said with the slightest hint of a laugh.

She gave a small smile, "Just hang in there. We're gonna get you out of here."

"What about the Hind's blood?" He said. His voice was harsh, kind of scratchy, like it was an effort for him to talk.

"It's just in my leg. I'll be fine." She said reassuringly, even if she wasn't as sure as she sounded, "Don't talk. Rest your voice. It needs time to heal and water." She replied quietly.

Hunter and the ruler fought each other hard, even for the ruler's apparent lack of skill. It was obvious that Hunter still hadn't remembered all of Damon's old moves when the other's sword caught him in his sword arm. He clenched his teeth on the pain, but wasn't able to lift the sword again with that arm. Topaz ran over and just barely managed to block the oncoming blow from taking him out completely. The ruler gave a shocked look, then continued fighting her. He wasn't very skilled against her, though, and she had him weaponless within minutes. He backed away, "You want the slave? Fine. Take him."

"You are in no position to be giving me permission for anything." Topaz growled.

"Look, he's not worth my life. Just get him out of here if you want him."

Topaz gave an unusually sadistic smile, "If you had said that when we had first walked in things would have been a whole lot nicer for you. I told you not to hurt them, you failed in that aspect twice."

He held up his hands, his face showing the uncertainty in his voice, "I don't want to die. If you want him, take him. Just, please, leave me what is mine."

The smile never left her face, "Tell me what I want to know and I'll consider leaving you alive."

"What do you want to know?"  
"Who told you where he was and where did you get the Hind's blood?"

"Discord." He answered quickly.

Topaz pressed her blade to his throat and made him lean back so he was on the ground, then put herself right next to him, "If I ever see you again, or hear of you hurting one of my friends, you better hope you have more information than that." Then punched him hard enough to knock him out.

She turned to look at Hunter, "Are you alright?"

He nodded, holding his hand over the cut, "Yeah, I apparently heal really fast."

She gave a small laugh, shaking her head, and went to go check on Raven and Ares. Hunter followed her, still marveling at his fast healing.

Raven had broken the chains and shackles off of Ares and healed what of his wounds she could, including removing the knife from his hand. He was more conscious, but still hurting.

"Are we ready to get out of here?" Topaz asked.

Raven looked over at Ares, then stood up and offered a hand, "Can you stand?"

Ares gave a slight nod, "I should be able to." He grabbed her hand.

She helped him up and let him lean on her. Topaz leaned down and pulled the dart out of Raven's leg. She gave a muffled yell of pain and Topaz noticed a line of red that seemed to be making a vein-like path up her leg. Topaz didn't say anything, but tried to suck some of it out of the wound. Raven looked down with a perplexed look on her face, "Why are you giving my leg a hickey?"

"To make it match the vein." She said, spitting out some of the blood.

Raven raised an eyebrow, "It's traveling?"

Topaz nodded a little, "I'm gong to make up a drawing salve and put it on."

Raven nodded, "Let's get out of here first." She was afraid of what the Hind's blood might do to her, but was more afraid of what might happen to Ares if they stayed in there any longer. She started moving towards the door.

"Raven, the longer it's in there the farther it's going to spread and the harder it's going to be to get out. It won't take long."

Raven looked over at her, "And I don't want Ares to be in here any longer than necessary. They nearly killed him. I don't want to take any chances."

"Princess, stop arguing and just take the help." Ares rasped out.

Raven looked over at him and sighed, "Damn you." But stayed still.

Topaz handed her sword to Hunter, "Watch the door."

He nodded and moved so that he could watch both doors. She pulled out a few herbs and chewed on them, "Cloth." She managed to say through her mouthful.

Raven held out a hand and a cloth appeared in it. Topaz took the cloth and spit out the contents of her mouth into it and then tied it around Raven's leg, so that the herbs were over the wound. Raven winced at the feel of the herbs. She looked down at the red line trailing up her leg, "You ever heard of Hind's blood doing this to anyone, Ares?"

"There have been cases of it. The results went from death to losing one half or the other."

"Charming." Was Raven's sarcastic reply.

"Sorry I can't be more help, Princess."

She shook her head, "Not your fault." Then winced, quickly followed by doubling over in pain.

"By the way, there might be a slight stinging sensation." Topaz said as she helped Raven back up.

"Topaz, is that pain supposed to spread throughout my body?" Raven asked painfully.

Topaz shrugged, "Maybe. To be quite honest, I've never dealt with removing blood from blood before."

Raven's breath started coming in harsh gasps, "Oh… gods…"

"Hunter, I'm gonna need you to carry Raven." Topaz said, as she moved around to take Ares off of her.

Hunter walked over and picked Raven up, even as she grumbled at him through her pain. On her way by, Topaz paused long enough to kick Hunter's sword up to herself. They managed to hobble collectively out of the castle, amazingly enough, not running into any guards at all. Fresher air greeted them outside the castle doors. Hunter looked over at Topaz, "Uh, she's out cold."

"Good, she can't argue that way." Topaz commented.

Hunter raised an eyebrow, but kept quiet. They were only able to walk for a short distance before night fell. Shortly after dark, Topaz stopped, "This'll have to do for a camp." She helped Ares, who was breathing heavily, lean against a tree. She motioned for Hunter to put Raven down near Ares, "Can you check out the area? I need to see how they're doing."

He nodded and set Raven down next to Ares, "Be back." He said and headed off a bit to look around the site.

Ares slid down so he was sitting and reached out and started to stroke Raven's hair. Topaz went over and looked at the wound. The red trail was fading, but the bandage was completely soaked through with blood. Topaz pulled out the same herb she had before and a new one to help numb the pain. She struck them all in her mouth before ripping a part of her clothes. She set the strip down on a clean rock before removing the one off of Raven and pouring a good amount of wine on her wound. Raven's back arched and her face contorted in pain. Ares was trying to bite back many foul words at Topaz and barely succeeding, "You better know what you're doing." He growled.

Topaz ignored him and spat the contents of her mouth into the fresh cloth and applied it to the wound. It took a moment, but Raven settled back down to the ground and slowly opened her eyes. Her only word was, "Ow."

"Good to have you back." Ares said.

She squinted for a second, then gave a half smile, "Good to be back. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine."

"Bull."

"And you're both horrible liars. Raven, you would probably feel a heck of lot better if you were unconscious and, frankly, he would too. He's been walking most of the day." Topaz informed them as she started checking Raven for vital signs.

She found what she expected. No signs of life. Raven smirked at her, "I might, but I'm not gonna and, no, I'm not among the living."

"Just had to check." Topaz replied, "You're turn, bud." She said, looking at Ares.

Ares turned and gave her this odd look, "Bud?"

Raven chuckled, "Oh, get over it."

Topaz, completely ignoring his protests, was already over examining him. He swatted at her, "What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm checking your wounds, mortal man."

Ares glared at her, "I'm fine." He snarled out.

Raven reached back and pushed on his arm, making sure to catch one of the healing wounds there. Ares hissed in pain, "What was that for?"

"You're mortal Ares, deal."

Ares grumbled something, but didn't protest any further as Topaz applied salve and bandages to him. Raven scooted up against the same tree and leaned back, watching. She didn't realize right off when she took his hand gently. After Topaz had finished bandaging him, she dropped a few herbs into what was left of the wine and handed it to him. He eyed it suspiciously, but drank it. After downing what was left, he passed out. Topaz looked at Raven, "I hope you know, that if I thought this would work on you, I'd do the same thing"

Raven smirked, "I don't doubt that." She was sure her tired state was getting to her when she let him lean on her in his sleep.

Topaz barely glanced at them before getting up, "I'm gonna go see what's taking Hunter. Keep an eye on him. Yell if you need help."

Raven nodded, "Yeah, no prob. He's easy to keep an eye on asleep."

Topaz didn't say anything else, just walked off.

Topaz found Hunter crouching down in the foliage not even fifteen feet from camp. Topaz moved as silently as she could and crouched down next to him, touching his arm. She gave him a questioning look and then looked in the direction he was. He smirked over at her, "Just letting you three have some time. I know that's not the Aeth I knew. I've heard you call him Ares, but that name isn't familiar to me."

"That's what his real name is. He got his memory back." She replied quietly.

He nodded, "Then it looks like I'm the only one who is still without in that area." It wasn't said in a depressed tone, but in an accepting one.

Topaz gave a half smile, "We're working on it."

"I'm not worried."

"You almost sound like you don't want them back."

He shook his head, "I just know there is every possibility that I won't get them back." Then looked over at Topaz, "I just hope I'll have enough brains to pursue whatever is between us."

Topaz looked off into the woods, "We'll find a way to get your memories back. Dealt with stranger things."

He gave a small half smile, "Like I said: I'm not worried. I would like to have them back, but I can live this life if need be."

Topaz simply nodded. Hunter glanced back at camp, "They will be asleep by now. We should head back to make sure it's safe."

Topaz nodded and got up, "You're right."

He stood as well and started walking back to camp. Back at camp, things were calm as Raven was still allowing a sleeping Ares to lean against her. She nodded to them when they walked in. Hunter walked over and leaned against one of the trees around the perimeter. Topaz did likewise to another tree, "I'm gonna get a little shut eye." She settled back and fell into a very light sleep.

Hunter and Raven exchanged looks, but all was silent for the rest of the night.

As the sun rose the next morning, the forest began its shift change to the light animals. Hunter and Raven had been awake all night, but Topaz and Ares were woken by the gentle light of the sun. Topaz stretched out for a moment then looked over at Raven, "How you feeling?"

"Like I have the hangover from Tartarus, but other than that I'm doing good."

"Still dead as ever?"  
Raven chuckled, "Yeah, no pulse to speak of. But I am warmer than usual."

Topaz went over to Raven and checked the bandage. The bandage was soaked through with blood again and the trail of red was still there, the same size it had been the day before.

"Don't suppose you could heal this yourself, could ya?" Topaz asked as she pulled out some herbs to stop the bleeding.

Raven shook her head, "I've tried. I think the Hind's blood is inhibiting my healing from working in that leg."

"Well, at least you can't bleed to death." Topaz said as she put the herbs in her mouth and started to chew them.

Raven rolled her eyes, "With Hind's blood in the mix, I'm never sure of anything."

"Then give me another cloth." She mumbled through the herb with a slightly sour face.

Raven laughed and held out a piece of cloth. Topaz emptied the contents of her mouth into the cloth, "Keep laughing. Next time I'll make you chew it."

Raven never lost her smile, "I can turn off my nerves. That includes taste buds."

Topaz stuck out her slightly green tongue at Raven as she tied to bandage around her leg. The smile turned into a smirk and she looked over to check on Ares, "And how are you holding up?"

"Feel kinda like I got run over by a MAC truck. Is the morning after always like this?"

Raven chuckled, "In your condition? Sometimes the week after is like this."

"I get to be like this for a whole week? Ugh, somebody please kill me." He said, mumbling the last part.

Raven laughed, "It's not as bad as it seems. Your wounds aren't that bad. You should be up and running around in a couple days."

"And until then, what? I get dragged?" He asked incredulously.

She rolled her eyes, "No, we just move slower. No big."

"Maybe not for you." He muttered.

"Hey, we can't exactly move at the speed of light with two wounded." Raven teased.

Ares just shook his head, "Or you could blink us somewhere safe. Your house, perhaps."

Raven gave an exasperated sigh and shook her head with a laugh, "You're impossible."

"Hey, I'm gonna die. I think I deserve to see your house."

"You're not gonna die. You're wounded, not dieing."

"I'm mortal. I only have, what? Fifty years left? If that?"

"That's fifty years you still have to live. And we'll find your sword so you won't have to worry about mortality." Raven had meant it as a joke, but regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. She didn't want him to think that she didn't want him around. For once, it really did matter to her what he thought. Her eyes lowered, "Sorry… I didn't mean that the way it sounded. I…"

He shook his head, "Don't be sorry. You've made it clear for how many eons that you didn't want me around and now you're forced to be around me. I guess I can't expect wine and roses, can I?"

She smirked lightly, not looking up, "Maybe not, but my comment was still uncalled for."

"Don't sweat it, princess. Just part of that fiery passion that drew me to you in the first place."  
She looked up at him, unable to hide the surprise in her eyes, "I… thanks." Something in her flickered just below the surface; something she was afraid flickered in her eyes as well.

"So when are we getting the wounded wagon on the road?" Ares asked, changing the subject.

She blinked for a moment, then shook her head slightly, "Oh, uh, we should probably head out now. If you're feeling up to it."

"I don't feel up to much of anything, but we probably should head out anyway. According to you, this hell is normal."

Having fully regained herself, she chuckled and muttered, "Big baby." As she got up.

Before he could stop himself, he thought humorously, 'Did you see the beating I-' managing to cut it off once he realized what he had been thinking.

Raven looked back at him, offering her hand with a gentle expression on her face, 'I'm sorry you had to go through that.' She replied in his mind, less with pity than with simple apologeticness. It seemed like she wanted to say more, but she didn't.

Ares took her hand and gave her a reassuring smile, 'I've put people through worse, don't worry about it.'

She helped him up, offering a half smile, not remembering to back up. So when he came up, he wasn't even an inch away from her. Ares looked like he was about to say something, but lost whatever it was. She looked up and opened her mouth slightly to say something, but her mind went blank when their eyes met.

Outside of their little world, Hunter glanced over at Topaz with an uncertain look. Topaz wanted nothing more than to walk off and let her friend have the time to sort out things she obviously needed to. But she was still worried that it was too easy to get Ares out and wanted to put some distance between them and his would-be master, "So whenever you two are ready…" She announced.

Ares kept looking at Raven, apparently not even noticing Topaz. Raven, however, did notice. She shook her head slightly and blinked, regaining her senses as much as possible, "Yeah… I'm good to go." She stepped away from Ares, offering a small smile.

Ares took a moment, then shook his head, "Uhh… where are we headed to?"

"We should probably head back to the village." Hunter suggested.

Topaz shook her head, "If word's gotten out to at least two groups that Ares is mortal, we can expect a lot more."

"So what options does that give us? Wandering around aimlessly?" Raven asked.

Topaz glanced at Hunter, then looked at Raven, "I can think of another safe haven. The manor."

Raven nodded in agreement, "Good idea. I think I can teleport us all there.

Ares gave her a slightly concerned looked, "Sure that's not going to tax you?"

She gave a half smile, "Probably not. Even if it does, we'll be at the manor; it's safe there and I'll be able to rest."

Ares looked less than convinced, but nodded. Topaz nodded, "Then let's see what we can do."

Raven took a breath and closed her eyes. In the blink of a human eye, they were all standing in the manor… until Raven dropped to her knees, a few drops of deep red beginning to stain the carpet below her leg. Ares and Topaz simultaneously dropped down next to her. Ares checking her face to see how she was and Topaz checking the wound. She found it open, to say the least. The bandage was once again soaked through, a small trickle running out from underneath it, and the red line that had been held in place was now about an inch longer and had become a burning red.

Ares, however, found Raven's eyes half open. There was a thin line of red around the outer edge of her icy blue eyes. Her hand grabbed for his and gripped it like it was a lifeline. Her lips moved, but no sound came out.

Ares returned her grip, touching her cheek with his other hand.

Topaz muttered a curse that would make a sailor blush and looked over at Hunter, "I need you to do something for me, if you can. You're a vampire. You should be able to sort out blood. I need you to try and suck out the Hind's blood. Please."

Hunter nodded and walked over to Ares and Raven. He crouched down and looked over at Ares as if asking permission to get near her. Ares glanced at him long enough to give one short nod before looking at Raven again, "Hold on, princess." He whispered.

Topaz got up silently and went to Damon's kitchen to get at his herbs incase the bleeding needed to be stopped.

Raven's lips moved again with a silent plea as Hunter leaned down to her leg. He leaned in closer and put his mouth to the wound. Raven arched with what might have been pain and a tear ran down her cheek. Her eyes stared up at Ares, unseeing, but he almost felt that she was still somehow seeing into him. He wiped the tear away and kept holding on to her. It was nearly five minutes later when Raven's body finally relaxed and it was sudden. She collapsed against Ares, her eyes barely open. Shivering, she curled into him, her entire body shuddering uncontrollably.

Hunter sat back, reeling from the sudden influx of blood into his system.

Topaz walked out just in time to see this all happen. Ares held Raven as tight as he could. Topaz went over and started to check Raven over. Checking for any vital signs as well as the flow of blood. As expected, there was no pulse. The wound had not only stopped bleeding completely, but was also closed and healed. A light sheen of fire danced lightly over the newly healed skin.

Topaz glanced up at Ares, "She'll be fine. It's just a system's shock." And then looked over at Hunter, "How are you feeling?"

He held up a hand, choking out, "I'll be okay."

Topaz gave him warm smile as she stood up and reached down for him, "Let's get you up to a bed and let this work through your system."

He gave a small nod and took the offered hand. He stood up, a little wobbly, but mostly stable. Topaz put an arm around his waist, just to be on the safe side, and brought him up to his room. He went with her very easily and was out almost as soon as he hit the bed. Topaz lingered by the bed for a moment and brushed back a stray piece of hair from his face. She silently thanked him and hoped that having him back in his house would help his memories. Then turned and left silently.

Ares had picked up Raven and was holding her against him, leaning against a wall and ignoring the pain the wounds he still had were causing. Raven stirred and opened her eyes, "What the…?"

"When you used your powers the Hind's blood became active. It started to spread again. So Topaz had Hunter suck it out of you and you went into shock for a minute." Ares voice was very controlled but he could quite keep all of the pain from his voice.

She lifted her head and looked up at him, "Oh. You okay?"

"With somebody who looks as good as you sitting in my lap? Yeah, I'm doing good." He said with a slight smile, though his voice was still the same.

"Liar." She replied simply and used the contact they had with each other to heal the wounds she hadn't been able to earlier.

Raven could feel Ares relax a bit and then his hand came up and brushed her cheek, "Thanks, princess."

She gave a small nod, fighting an inner battle that never seemed resolved.

Ares stayed like that for another short moment then decided that if he didn't take charge of the situation, they were never going to get anything done. And leaned his head down, kissing her lightly.

Raven stilled, but, even as she tried not to respond, her eyes closed almost out of instinct.

Ares slowly began to deepen their kiss. Whenever Raven started to stiffen, he pulled back just the slightest, then continued again.

As Raven began giving in to the kiss, Ares' hand drifted down her body to her breast.

Almost in one motion, Raven pushed away and managed to stand. She shook her head to clear it and looked down at him, "We can't do this. Gads, we can't do this." She shook her head again, "We're family for god's sake!" She knew, as she said that, she should've been walking away, yet all she was doing was standing in place, as if waiting for something.

Ares had to take a moment to catch his breath, then stood up, still leaning against the wall, more to give her space then actual need, "Princess, you're immortal. You are more likely to end up dating half of your family because of that simple fact. You can't keep track of them all."

"Well I seem to have done pretty well so far. I don't believe we ever had any vampires in our family." She retorted.

"And what are you going to do when you run out of people who want to get high off of you?" He snapped.

"I can manage on my own. Vampires aren't the only immortals that aren't related to the Olympians." She replied venomously.

"The only immortal you have any real relation with is your mother. You're father wasn't even Hades, he was a mortal who happened to have dormant divine abilities. You killed your real father a long time ago."

"My birth father died by accident. It was the twisted Olympian gene in me that killed him. The gene that he gave me because of his divinity. Do you ever wonder why he chose to become mortal?"

"I don't care why he chose to become mortal. All I know is the product of his mortality means more to me than my own mortal life and can't seem to get off her high horse and realize that, right now, we don't even have the divinity to link us as family. Which is all we had to begin with."

"Until you get your sword back." She retorted coldly.

"Great. Then I get to through eternity with the only meaning to my existence being to cause people to fight. Can't wait."

"Since when do you complain about being god of war? Don't tell me you actually want to stay mortal." She replied incredulously.

"No, what I want is to be with the only woman I have ever loved." He snapped.

"You wouldn't know love if it bit you on the ass." She snapped back.

Ares pushed away from the wall, "Think whatever you like." He growled out as he took off to leave the manor.

She spun around as he left, "Where are you going? You're still mortal. Someone could kill you very easily right now." She demanded.

Ares didn't even break his stride, "At least that one would be physical and they would be honest about doing it from the start."

"I have a promise to fulfill to Dite. She wants you back on Olympus where you're needed."

Ares stopped, his hand on the door, "So that's what it took to get you down here. Funny, for a moment, I thought you actually cared." His voice was low, almost a whispered thought.

"She's unbalanced without you up there. She needs you back." She explained, her voice having lowered as well.

"Then I guess you were right, Princess. There's never going to be a time." He opened the door and walked out.

Raven stood there, just looking at the door. Then sighed. She didn't know if he would ever try again with her, but it wasn't going to happen. She had told him the truth. She needed to get his sword back so things would go back to what they had been. She could go on living her life and he would have back his godhood. That was all that mattered at the moment, she had a promise to keep. Once that was done, they would go their ways and she could forget about him. That's what she had wanted for so long, but, for some reason, it hurt just to think it. She sighed again and pushed it all down. It couldn't be dealt with, would never have to be, because it didn't matter. If she could just convince herself of that, she'd be all set.

Ares wandered for longer than he bothered to keep track of. His thoughts kept returning to the argument; to what he said. He was kicking himself for every insult and snide remark. A flash of aether and he was face-to-face with his sister, Aphrodite.

"Hey, Dite." He said simply.

Her face lit up like a light when she saw him, "Ar! I am so glad I found you!" She embraced him in a fervent hug. When she stood back, a smile a mile wide graced her face, "You are never going to believe what I managed to get!"

Ares smiled at her, "What's that?"

She held out her hand with a flourish, producing a small golden container, "Ambrosia. Artemis was super nice and let me have some. Things are getting really bad at home. I keep acting flaky and it's getting worse. You can sense your sword when you're a god."

Ares took the container and looked at it, "Never thought Artemis would give any of this up."

Dite shrugged, "Like I said, it's majorly bad up there. We need you back."

Ares just nodded silently, then he looked at her, "Cheers." And downed the contents of the container.

He instantly felt the power rush through him again, his clothing changing to the signature black leather, the weaknesses of mortal flesh fading away, and all the emotions that had been running rampant in him were easily hardened. To top it off, he could now feel where his sword was. It was back in the village, in the all-but-abandoned temple.

Dite gave a small sway on her feet, shook her head slightly and blinked, "Whoa…" She giggled, "Okay, I'm starting to feel more like myself."

"Then you'd better get back to your job and I can get back to mine." And with that, Ares teleported to where he sensed his sword.

He appeared in a very small room with a single candle in the middle. That was all that appeared to be in the room, but he could sense his sword there. Ares ran a hand through his hair. He realized he was going to need Raven's help. Damn, he didn't want to deal with her right now. He sighed and resolved himself to another long fight. And teleported back to the manor.

Raven had taken up a seat on the couch, nearly lying. Her back was to him, yet she still knew he was there. Only mild surprise evident in her body and voice, "Dite gave you ambrosia." She stated simply.

"I'm gonna go check on Hunter." Topaz said as she left the room.

"I need to be back there. Even with just the ambrosia she was feeling more balanced. She has a job to do. And I need your help."

"Why?"

"I can sense my sword, but I can't find it."

She gave a very small nod and got up. Her face was as calm and cold as her voice, "Where?"

"At the temple. In the town that Damon and I were in."

She gave another nod, "Alright. Show me where." She gave Topaz a mental that she was going to be gone for a little.

Ares teleported them back to where he sensed his sword, "In here somewhere."

Raven walked over to the candle, running her hand through the air over it, "Magic." She lit the candle with her fire and muttered a few words in what might have been Latin.

The candle flickered for a moment then both watched as candles began appearing on the walls. The room lengthened and the little lights drew a trail all the way to an altar where a large red crystal glowed vibrantly.

Ares looked at the crystal, then at Raven, "You're the expert on this. Do we smash it?"

She walked up to the crystal, her hand nearly touching it, "This is the same magic that was used to take your memories away. It's containing something, but there's another magic too. It's a linking spell. I think, if this one is destroyed, it will affect the one that took Damon's memories."

"Then it gets broken." He said simply, as he went to break it.

She stood back. The spells she had sensed were simple enough. Take out the spell and it breaks. It seemed too simple, but her mother had taught her to understand that sometimes magic really was that simple.

Ares picked up the crystal and threw it down. It shattered and the shards flew all over as if a small wind had caught them. A red ball of energy formed and flew out of the room. The remaining crystal swirled together and pieced itself into the shape of Ares' sword. Another bright flash of red and his sword was reformed. It clattered to the floor.

Ares picked up his sword, "Gonna find out if it worked?"

Raven nodded. She wanted to say something, but knew if she tried to talk she would end up crying. So she blinked back to the manor.

Topaz walked into Damon's room in time to see a red ball of energy fly through the ceiling and slam into him. His body tensed and spasmed once, then he opened his eyes and looked around.

"Hunter?" Topaz's voice was very unsure and a little concerned.

He sat up and looked over at her, "Uh… I'm Damon again." He shook his head, "That was weird."

"So you remember?"

He nodded, "Yeah, with amazing clarity. Everything down to his… er… my thoughts."

Topaz nodded, "So that must be where Raven ran off to."

He raised an eyebrow just before Raven walked into the doorway, "Everything okay in here?"

"Yeah. Damon's himself again. Whatever you did, worked."

Raven nodded, "Good. But I'm not the one you should thank. Ares is the one who shattered the crystal."

"What crystal?" Topaz asked.

"Oh, there was a crystal that was controlling a couple of others. Once the spell was broken on that one, the spells on the crystals that had taken the memories were broken."

"Oh." Was all she said.

Raven gave a weak half-smile, "I'm gonna… go for a bit. I'll be back later." She said and, before anyone could protest, she blinked.

Topaz sighed, "I hope she works out whatever it is she needs to get worked out."

Damon shook his head, "She won't. She never has. Her mind and heart are in a stalemate."

"They really do care about each other, don't they?"

He nodded, "I know he loves her. And she feels strongly for him, but that's one area I've never had access to in her mind. She's stuck on something and can't let it go."

"Wonder what it is."

He stood up and walked over to her, "I think I've known for awhile. Raven and he are family. At least in her mind."

"That could put a dampening on it."

"She can't accept that she was born to a mortal man who died and became Hades." He sighed, "So instead she breaks both of their hearts to protect herself."

Topaz shook her head, "Maybe one day she'll get it through there."

Damon looked down at her, "And I have something I need to say to you."

Topaz didn't move or even look surprised, "I thought you might. I think I'm gonna stick with a simple 'I'm sorry.'"

He smiled, "Don't be."

She turned to him with a curious look. He touched her cheek, "Hunter was right. He was me, everything he felt, I had. The only difference is, he had the courage to act on it. I think I'm gonna follow his lead. I love you." He muttered the last bit as he leaned down and kissed her.

Topaz's head was spinning. She was expecting to be yelled at, maybe even to lose a friend with the deal. They needed to talk and she knew it, but when she brought her hand up to push him away, it seemed to curl behind his neck and pull him closer.

His arms wrapped around her waist. A long moment later, he grudgingly pulled out of the kiss, looking down at her.

Topaz was having to put serious effort into regaining her breath. After she did, she looked up at him, "That wasn't what I expected."

He chuckled, "Wasn't what I expected to do, either. I just wanted you to know how I felt. Maybe know if you felt the same."

She looked at him, "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure how I feel. Every time I try to figure it out I end up seeing you and forget I'm supposed to be thinking about it."

"I know the feeling. I see you and my mind… I just can't think straight."

Topaz smiled, "So what now, oh thoughtless one?"

He shook his head, returning her smile, "See where things go? As long as you are willing to pursue this, I will."

Topaz leaned against him, "If someone had told me a few months ago that I was not only going to be associating with a vampire, but caring for one, I probably would've slapped them."

He chuckled, holding her close.

Raven sat on her bluff, miles away from anything or anyone, letting the tears run down her cheeks as she watched the sun set. Out here, it was like watching the world die in one last vibrant burst of color. She felt like that inside right now. She heard the familiar sound of a god poof behind her. She didn't say anything, not even turning around. Ares let the silence drag on as he watched Raven. Then sighed, "I wanted to say thank you. You helped me out, a lot."

She only nodded, knowing he would hear the evidence of her crying in her voice and not willing to give that.

"I also want you to know that I meant it. Both about your father not really being Hades and about loving you. Even when I didn't know who you were, you were still the only thing I could think about."

Raven bit her lip against a sob, but her shoulders still shook. She couldn't stand him seeing her this vulnerable or facing him with so many emotions so close to the surface.

Ares walked over to where he could see her face, but she turned her head away before he could even get a glimpse. Ares sat down next to her and, before she could react, picked her up and held onto her. She pushed away weakly, finally relenting when she realized it wasn't working. The comfort of his arms, that she had never allowed herself before, seeped into her and she couldn't stop the sobs as she gripped his vest tightly enough for her knuckles to turn white. Ares didn't say anything, just sat there with her, stroking her hair. The crying lightened, then stopped and she just stayed there, not sure what to do.

"What was that about, Princess?" He asked quietly, after a few minutes.

She shook her head, "Too much pain." She whispered.

"About what?"

"Us."

"But you're still not willing to fix it, are you?" His voice was still the same calm and accepting tone he'd been using since he got there.

"It can't be fixed. There are some things that can't be changed."

"Like what?"

If it was possible, her hand fisted even more tightly on his vest, "Damnit, Ares, we're family. We're first cousins. Regardless of technicalities. Nothing but that can be between us."

Ares' hands stopped moving, "You know that when a god takes on mortal form, they're not the same person. They don't even have the same blood. If you don't want to let there be an us, then don't let it happen. Don't lie to yourself about it; don't lie to me about it."

She lifted her head to look at him, "If he didn't have the same blood, how am I what I am?" She asked, it wasn't an argumentative tone, but more of a purely curious one.

"Even when a god becomes mortal, they still have the divine power. It's inherent in most of them. It goes deeper than blood or bones or form. So even though Hades isn't your birth father, his powers are your birthright."

Her eyes widened slightly, "That means… I'm… not… related to the Olympians?"

"Only by power."

Her head dropped down to his shoulder, she shoulders shaking from frustrated laughter, "Why does my family have to be so complicated?"

"How do you think I feel? My aunt's my mom. And you know what that makes my dad."

She giggled, "A miracle worker?"

"A what?"

Her head raised as she bit back another giggle, "A miracle worker."

"I think you might be suffering from something. Delayed reaction to the Hind's blood or something."

She smirked, "Oh, come on. How else did siblings manage to pull off missing all the possible birth defects and get a gorgeous son?"

"Looking at my parents? I knew there had to be a lost gorgeous gene in there somewhere."

She laughed, "Is it possible for you to just take a compliment?"

"I haven't had a lot of practice with it."

She raised an eyebrow, "You've got to be kidding."

He shook his head, "Being worshipped and being complimented is not the same thing. Most of the people who worship me do it out of fear, anyway."

"Well, you know… you can change that."

"Why do I have a feeling the décor of my temples is gonna be changed now?"

"Uh, no. That's Dite's area."

Ares chuckled, "Speaking of dwellings and girls. How's fang-boy and Topaz? Did he get his memory back?"

She smirked, "They're doing good. Shattering the crystal brought his memory back."

Ares nodded, "Good."

"I… I guess I owe you a thanks for doing that."

"Well, if you really wanted to thank me…"

She rolled her eyes with a smile, "Gads, one track mind much?"  
"What can I say? You make it hard for me to concentrate on anything else."

She barely repressed a laugh, "Metaphorically speaking, of course."

"Yeah. That's right." Ares replied sarcastically.

She laughed, but the smile slowly faded, "I guess… this kinda starts a new chapter for us, doesn't it?"

Ares tipped her chin up so that she was looking right up at him, "I think it's going to be more than one." He said and kissed her.

Later, as Raven lay asleep in Ares' arms, he had a flash of memory. The memory enveloped him as he finally remembered what had happened when he turned mortal. He could remember two men talking. One was the head of the village and the other must have been the head of the temple. No one else would dress that badly. He noticed something he hadn't before: the priest had a nice-sized crystal dangling just inside of his robe. Ares couldn't explain why, but he had wanted to take out that crystal. It was a threat somehow. He formed a fireball and the crystal began to glow lightly red. Before he could change his mind, he felt like the ground had been yanked out from underneath him. He caught a glimpse of the crystal glowing much brighter as he felt the fireball shoot out and kill the priest as the cold ground met his skin hard. He could tell in this memory that he was mortal as soon as he'd hit the ground and was now in the outfit that he had been wearing as Aeth. The priest was dead and the crystal was gone. The head of the village helped him up without a question and thanked him. The priest had been about to stab him until this mysterious savior had come. He was welcomed to the village without memory and given a new name.


End file.
